Instruct: Classify a given review into positive or negative sentiment.
Query: An excellent introduction to this distinguished painter.

I agree with some of the criticisms of previous reviewers; still this was an excellent overview of Vigee Le Brun's life. I enjoyed reading about her differences with David, and was especially intrigued by her decade long stay in Russia. I do wish that May would have fleshed some of her story out more in some instances. For example, when she says on page 41 that the Dauphin died under mysterious circumstances, this is much less a mystery. He was terribly abused, and mention of this would have made our understanding of the famous painting that much more tragic. I also would have liked to have a better understanding of how she ran a salon and painted portraits at the same time. On the other hand, May includes many interesting details about her escape into Italy, penniless with a young daughter in tow. I also enjoyed reading about her amusing effort to paint Germaine de Stael in an attractive manner.