Secrets from Copying a Masterpiece with Lilianne Milgrom (#87)

I get tons of podcast pitches, but none have been better than the one I recently received from Lilianne Milgrom. It was right on target. Lilianne had just finished writing a book, and, while I was skeptical, her pitch was perfect. I gave her book a go and could not put it down. It contained art history, intrigue, sex, and scandal. How could it not be fascinating?

But my conversation today with Lilianne isn't only about the book. It's the story of how the book came to be — which is a lesson in itself — and has its roots in her decision to be a copyist at the Musee d'Orsay in Paris, copying Courbet's scandalous painting, L'Origine du Monde (The Origin of the World). She learned valuable lessons, exercised her courage muscle, and became a better artist as a result. The experience led to the writing of the book that so engrossed me. Lilianne and I talk about all of that and how she juggles her art and writing. She also shares tips for pitching to podcasts, which are equally valuable for other media pitches.

Highlights

• Lilianne shares the timeline of her artist journey. (3:22)

• The difference between a consistent studio practice and making consistent work. (5:56)

• The premise and genesis of Lilianne's book L'Origine. (9:15)

• A full list of Lilianne's reasons not to become a copyist of this scandalous painting. (13:08)

• The fascinating rules for being a copyist at the Musée d'Orsay. (16:36)

• Overcoming the most uncomfortable aspects of this endeavor, including the unsolicited comments from museum visitors. (20:21)

• Main differences between male and female reactions to the painting. (25:43)

• The inspiration that comes from writing about your painting. (26:55)

• Turning a once-in-a-lifetime artist experience — and the painting that provided it — into a novel. (29:40)

• What makes a piece of art timeless and relevant? (35:13)

• If this artwork is shocking today, imagine how it was received in the 1800s. (40:20)

• Lilianne explains why her copy of L'Origine du Monde is not currently on display. (42:12)

• Lessons learned from interacting with such famous and controversial artwork. (43:38)

• What does Lilianne's studio practice look like now? (46:43)

• The secret to pitching your idea in a way that gets results. (48:10)

Mentioned

• Lilianne Milgrom

• Musée d'Orsay

• L'Origine du Monde, the painting

• Find out more about the book and where to order a copy at Little French Girl Press

Resources

• Full show notes including photos and listener comments

• MagneticYouArtist.com

• Art Career Success System

• Art Biz Success Planning Sessions

• Art Biz Success Community

• Intro and outro music by Wildermiss

Quotes

• "Writing is like painting with words." — Lilianne Milgrom

• "This painting gave me the sense of empowerment, which at the beginning felt like an embarrassment, and it turned out to be this enormous feeling of liberation and empowerment." — Lilianne Milgrom

• "This certainly changed my life. As far as my art, it's made me fairly fearless." — Lilianne Milgrom

• "The written word and art, they can't be separated because you're going to need to express yourself." — Lilianne Milgrom

About My Guest

Lilianne Milgrom was born in Paris, grew up in Australia, and currently resides in the United States. Milgrom holds two degrees from Melbourne University and an associate art degree from the Academy of Art in San Francisco. She exhibits her artwork around the world and is the recipient of multiple awards. In 2011, she became the first authorized copyist of Gustave Courbet's controversial painting L'Origine du Monde (The Origin of the World), which hangs in the Orsay Museum in Paris and draws over a million visitors a year. After rendering a near-identical copy of Courbet's masterpiece, she spent close to a decade researching and writing L'Origine.