THE ARTFUL LINEAGE OF THE FRENCH MISTRESS by RUSSEL SMITH

THE GLOBE AND MAIL : THE ARTFUL LINEAGE OF THE FRENCH MISTRESS    by Russell Smith

EXCERPT:

"You see why the French don’t like to criticize leading men and their mistresses too much. They think there are big ideas at stake. Mistresses, in French artistic history, are evidence not of boorishness and sexism, but of sensitivity and cultivation. In the higher realms of power, it is not unusual to see art as essentially feminine. Yes, these are rather conservative ideas...."