Most of us find it hard enough to create convincing artwork with two hands. And yet, the inspiration for today’s Google Doodle managed to become a renowned painter using just four toes.
Head to the search engine’s homepage and you’ll see a picture of a man creating beautiful landscapes with a brush clasped in his right foot.
That man was Louis Joseph César Ducornet who was born on this day (10 January) in Lille, France, back in 1806.
Ducornet was born with a phocomelia, a rare congenital condition which causes malformations in the arms and legs.
He didn’t have arms or a left leg, which meant he couldn’t walk and had to be carried around by his father throughout his childhood, as Google notes in its blurb to the illustration.
However, he did have four toes on his right foot and, one day, after picking up a piece of charcoal with his toes, he began sketching.
A self-portrait created in 1852, four years before his death(Louis Joseph César Ducornet – Tribune de l’art)
The French protégé honed his craft, becoming a skilled illustrator. As a result, and thanks to the local government, he was sent to Paris where he studied under some of the city’s most renowned artists.
For a short period, he even received a pension from King Louis XVIII himself to enable him to continue his training.
Whilst his disability prevented him from entering the Prix de Rome, a renowned French scholarship foundation, he earned several medals from the prestigious Salon d’Art.
In 1840, he painted an 11-foot-high depiction of Mary Magdalene at the feet of Jesus which was bought by the French government.
His extraordinary portrait titled ‘Mary Magdalene in Ecstasy’ was bought by the French government(Louis Joseph César Ducornet – Tribune de l’art)
He then followed this up with one of his most celebrated works: a self-portrait, showing him painting with his foot.
He died in 1856 at the age of 50, but his historical and biblical scenes, as well as his portraits, continue to inspire awe today.
Perhaps his greatest legacy, however, is how he defied the odds and embodied the power of determination.
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