In honor of Women's History Month, we want to highlight a few women artists. The first one is an important reminder of one of the many difficulties women artists faced due to gender biases in the mainstream fine art world.
Sofonisba Anguissola
Portrait Painter
(1532 – 1625)
My twin and I are fortunate to live in a time where we can study the human form from life, which forms the basis for academic training and representation. When she was young, Italian Renaissance painter, Sofonisba Anguissola was not allowed to study anatomy or draw from life, as it was considered unacceptable for a lady to view nudes. Instead, she experimented with new styles of portraiture, mostly using herself and family members as her subjects.
Because of her apprenticeship with local painters, Anguissola set a precedent for women to be accepted as art students. When she was a young woman, Anguissola met Michelangelo, who quickly recognized her talent. She soon became well-known outside of Italy, and in 1559, King Phillip II of Spain recruited her to be an art teacher to 14-year-old Queen Isabella of Valois. Anguissola later became an official court painter to the king of Spain and adapted her style to the more formal requirements of official portraits for the Spanish court. She continued her career as a leading portrait painter to the age of ninety-three.
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Source/Photographyer: Selected work 4 from Anthony Bond, Joanna Woodall (2005). Self Portrait: Renaissance to Contemporary. ISBN 978-1855143579