![]() Self-portraits are crucial to our knowledge of portraiture and art history. Women were often unable to train in drawing the naked body of a live model until the twentieth century, making it difficult for them to paint larger figure compositions, prompting many female painters to concentrate in portraiture. Many painters, sculptors, and print-makers experimented with self-portraiture as better and cheaper mirrors were available, as well as the introduction of the panel portrait. Stay tuned to discover the incredible history of girls, and be sure to visit the complete exhibition to discover the integral role girls have played since the dawn of time.A self-portrait is a portrayal of an artist that that artist has drawn, painted, photographed, or sculpted.Īlthough self-portraits have existed since antiquity, it is not until the Early Renaissance, in the mid-15th century, that painters begin to show themselves as either the primary subject or prominent characters in their works. Each week during 2017, we explore a historical object and its relation to girls’ history. This post is part of our 52 Objects in the History of Girlhood exhibition. Her portrait of Queen Elisabeth of Valois was copied many times, and her successes opened the doors for more women to become career artists, such as Lavinia Fontana and Irene di Spilimbergo. Though she never sold a painting during her lifetime, Sofonisba influenced several artists and her work lives on as a remarkable example of women’s contributions to the Renaissance. “To Sofonisba, my wife, who is recorded among the illustrious women of the world, outstanding in portraying the images of man.” Orazio inscribed her tomb with the epitaph, Sofonisba died in 1625 at the age of 93, leaving only her paintings as her heirs. Sofonisba painted freely, discussed the arts with her colleagues, and taught aspiring artists – including the young Flemish painted Anthony van Dyck, who claimed his conversations with her taught him more about the “true principles” of painting than anyone else in his life. They lived together in Genoa for the rest of her life, living off their joint fortune. In 1581, she traveled to Genoa with Captain Orazio Lomellini – whom she fell in love with and married in Pisa. Sofonisba continued painting and tutoring in Spain and, later, Palermo.Īfter her husband’s death, Sofonisba decided to travel. ![]() That year, she married a Sicilian nobleman and they lived together in Spain under a royal pension. Isabel was also her pupil, and Sofonisba resided at court until 1573. Only a few years before those lines, Sofonisba had become the court painter and lady-in-waiting for the queen of Spain, Isabel de Valois. “has astonished every prince and wise man in all of Europe by means of her paintings, which are all portraits, so like they seem to conform to nature itself.” In Lomazzo’s Libro de Sogni (1564), he imagines da Vinci stating that Sofonisba ![]() Her works were recognized by Michelangelo and Vasari. The images suggest piety, a virtue often sought in young women, as can be seen in her self-portrait above. ![]() Many of Sofonisba’s early paintings were self-portraits, where she depicted herself as a woman of virtue (“virgo”) in simple dress and modesty. Under his tutelage, she experimented with new kinds of portraiture, posing her subjects informally or engaged in activities. By the age of 14, Sofonisba was so talented that her father sent her and her sister, Elena, to study with Bernardino Campi, a religious and portrait painter. Alongside her sisters, she became a painter. Her father was a minor noble, and encouraged her to develop her talents in the arts. ![]() Sofonisba was born in Cremona, Italy, in 1532. One of the painters who used art to educate was Sofonisba Anguissola – a woman. It helped to guide a largely illiterate population with spiritual guidance and new ideas. Yet women were a huge part of the Renaissance – and traditional art history has yet to do them justice.ĭuring the Renaissance, art was a social necessity. When you think of Renaissance painters, who do you name? Probably Raphael, Michelangelo, da Vinci. Self-portrait at the easel, by Sofonisba Anguissola, 1556. ![]()
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