How <em>Portrait of a Lady on Fire </em>Subverts the Artist-Muse Relationship
This story contains spoilers for Portrait of a Lady on Fire.
In the week before she sets her clothing ablaze, Héloïse (played by Adèle Haenel), the titular character in Portrait of a Lady on Fire, is a reluctant subject. When Marianne (Noémie Merlant) arrives to paint her, the artist is informed that she must do so without Héloïse ever knowing of the portrait’s creation. Prior attempts to depict her have failed because Héloïse refuses to pose. So Marianne must undertake a nearly impossible feat: observing Héloïse imperceptibly on their afternoon walks and painting her in secret afterward.
Céline Sciamma’s a quiet toys with the meaning—and the thrill and terror—of being . In exploring these stakes, the film suggests that the act of seeing isn’t one-directional, even and especially in artistic pairings.
