现代灰姑娘 布面油画 91.4X70.8cm  路易斯 乔普林 1875

     露易丝·乔普林 (Louise Jopling) 是19世纪晚期伦敦一位杰出的女艺术家，她在她那个时代最出门的艺术圈中活动。她出生于英国曼彻斯特，曾在巴黎师从查尔斯·查普林 (Charles Chaplin)。查普林是一位以只接受女学生而闻名的浪漫主义肖像和风景画家。他的学生中有著名的美国印象派画家玛丽·卡萨特 (Mary Cassatt)。在查普林的指导下，乔普林获得了从裸体模特身上学习解剖学的难得机会——这在维多利亚时代的英格兰对女性艺术家来说几乎是不可能的。

     1878年，乔普林在第三届巴黎世界博览会上展出了《现代灰姑娘》。这个令人信服的形象让人想起了熟悉的灰姑娘的故事：不公正的压迫之后就是胜利。必不可少的鞋子放在前景中，从而使得身份成立，而镜子中倒映的时钟已经过了午夜，灰姑娘挂起了她的礼服。她的黑色靴子和便服搭在右边前景的一把椅子上。

     尽管叙事元素散落在整幅画中，但其意义仍然难以捉摸。艺术家的画架也倒映在镜子里，这背景环境可能是乔普林的工作室。她是在这场戏里表演灰姑娘了吗？她既是画家也是模特吗？这可能是一幅自画像，画的是她穿着拉斐尔前派的美学服装吗？还是她是在暗示，作为一名女艺术家她取得的成功被削弱，这种象征通过脱下一件昂贵的礼服来体现？最终，乔普林挑战观众去解读这幅画的模糊叙事，留给人们多种解读的可能性。

附注：在20世纪之前，女性很难接受良好的艺术教育。这也是女性艺术家们自豪地画以艺术家身份出现的自画像的原因之一。

 Louise Jopling was an eminent female artist in late 19th century London, active in the most prominent art circles of her time. Born in Manchester, England, she studied in Paris under Charles Chaplin, a renowned Romantic portrait and landscape painter known for accepting only female students. Among his students was the famous American Impressionist painter Mary Cassatt. Under Chaplin's tutelage, Jopling had the rare opportunity to study anatomy from nude models—an almost impossible task for female artists in Victorian England. In 1878, Jopling exhibited "The Modern Cinderella" at the Third Paris World Exposition. This compelling image evokes the familiar Cinderella story: after unjust oppression comes triumph. The essential shoe is placed in the foreground, establishing identity, while the clock reflected in the mirror has passed midnight, and Cinderella has hung up her gown. Her black boots and casual attire are draped over a chair in the right foreground. Although narrative elements are scattered throughout the painting, its meaning remains elusive. The artist's easel is also reflected in the mirror, suggesting the background environment could be Jopling's studio. Was she performing as Cinderella in this scene? Was she both the painter and the model? Could this be a self-portrait of her in Pre-Raphaelite aesthetic clothing? Or was she hinting that her success as a female artist was undermined, symbolized by removing an expensive gown? Ultimately, Jopling challenges the viewer to interpret the ambiguous narrative of the painting, leaving room for multiple interpretations. P.S.: Before the 20th century, women had difficulty receiving good art education. This is one reason why female artists proudly painted self-portraits depicting themselves as artists.