women in art, part five: minerva at the dawn - women painters of the renaissance period

The Renaissance (which means 'rebirth') heralded cultural movements anchored on the energetic interest in classical literature and art. However, unlike the scholars before them, the Renaissance enthusiasts were not 'professionals' and mainly studied for the pleasure of it. And while Medieval art and literature were confined in particual purpose and interest, the proponents of the Renaissance pushed for works that existed independently and defined the ideals of beauty and learning. Suffice to say, their interest spread past antiquity into more contemporary endeavors. And eventually, this humanist-driven (humanists believed it is possible to improve human society through classical education) period opened the doors for individual growth. And a few women grabbed this opportunity for education and achievement. And they did so by transcending their roles in society as defined by their gender.

Below are some women of the Renaissance period who learned the art of painting through their fathers or by themselves. Their art, as was common during the period, focused on portraiture, still lifes and religious themes.

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Lucia Abguissola was born in Cremona, a city in northern Italy. She was the third in a family of six sisters who were all painters Although she only lived into her mid-twenties, her skill is considered to be on the same footing as that of Sofonisba, her more famous sister. Moreover, many scholars believe that it was Lucia who trained her sister as their portraitures have similarities both in style and technique.

The painting Pietro Maria, Doctor of Cremona, 1560 (see above) is her only signed work and it showcases her sensitive depiction of a doctor in a controlled pallete of browns and greys.

Lucia was a Mannerist painter. Mannerism is a style in art and architecture characterized by the distortion of proportion and space other elements. It was popular in the early 1600s.

Sofonisba Anguissola was an expert portraitist and was one of the first women to gain a international recognition as a painter. During her time, she served as a role model for other women artists specially in Italy.

Sofonisba was born into a noble family in Cremona and studied art under local artists Bernardino Campi and Bernardino Gatty. She also had close relations with Michelangelo when she travelled to Rome in 1554.

Her painting, Three of the Artist's Sisters Playing Chess or simply The Chess Game, 1555 (right) is considered to be the first 'conversation piece', a type of portait wherein the subjects are depicted along with the elements of his/her usual surroundings.

Sofonisba became Spain's court portraitist in 1559 for Philip II. And towards the end of her life, she became friends with the young Flemish painter Anthony Van Dyck. Van Dyck did portraits of her and one drawing of her even appeared in his sketchbooks along with the advices she gave to him about painting.

Sofonisba was a prolific painter with at least 50 works attributed to her.

Lavinia Fontana was born in Bologna, Italy and was the daughter of a leading mannerist painter of the city Prospero Fontana. She received training from her father and eventually became one of the most successful women painters of her era. In fact, during her entire career as an artist, she was given a sizeable number of public commissions and painted both religious and mythological themes - a rare feat since women painters then were limited to portrait painting. One of her more famous religious works is Noli me Tangere, 1581, (see title image above) which showed Mary Magdalene's vision of the resurrected Christ.

Typical of the mannerist style, Fontana's depiction of the human figure was elongated as it was elegant. She was also known for her precise rendering of textures as can be seen by her execution of articles of clothing.

Upon the invitation of Pope Clement VIII, Fontana became an official painter to the papal court. She moved to Rome in 1603 where she continued doing commissions for portraits and of religious themes.

Fede Galizia was born in Milan, Italy and studied painting under her father. Her talent as a painter was first reconized when she was 12 and by 1956, her portraits and religious paintings were largely known. Alhough she did a lot of comissioned works for alterpieces in churches, it was her still-lifes that have become her hallmark today.

Characteristically, her still-lifes often featured a basket or a bowl of fruits that faced the viewer and are in proportion. Scholars believe that her style had been influenced by Carravagio but Galazia evidently exhibited a more simplistic style compared to the 'lavishness' showcased by the former and her other contemporaries in the genre. But nonetheless, her rendering was also natural and realistic, in keeping with what was popular then.

Galizia never married and died in 1603 in the Milan plague.

Barbara Longhi was born in Ravenna, Italy. Her father was the painter and miniaturist Luca Longhi (miniaturists are artists who paint miniatures or small pictures, as in illuminated manuscripts).

She was not a prolific painter and only about 15 or 16 surviving paintings from the period are attributed to her. Her favorite theme was the Madonna and Child and in fact, 12 of all her known works showcase this theme.

Longhi was admired for her bright colors, distinct landscaping and purity of lines. Also, many scholars believe she was highly influened by both Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael, specially the painters' use of the pyramidal composition and the sfumato effect or the gradual blending of one area of color into another without a sharp outline.

Marietta Robusti was born in Venice, Italy. She was also known as La Tintoretta, a moniker derived from her painter father Jacopo Rubusti's other name, Tintoretto. Robusti was trained by her father and became famous for her portraiture.

Robusti's relationship with her father was so strong that she had to turn down invitations from the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian II and King Philip II of Spain to paint at their court in order to stay with him. And when she married, she and her husband lived with Jacopo.

Unlike her women contemporaries, it is believed that Robusti never accepted commissions and was mainly known as a portraitist whose style was reminiscent of that of her father's. She died at the age of 30 in childbirth.

Levina Teerlinc was a Flemish miniaturist who served as a painter (Artist of the Tudor - painters and limners engaged by the Tudor dynasty and their courtiers) to the English court of Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I.

Teerlinc was born in Bruges (Brugge), capital of West Flanders Province, western Belgium and moved with her husband George Teerlinc to London in 1545.

Teerlinc is acknowledged for making portrait miniaturism popular during her time. And as a court artist, most of her works are individual portraits of important figures of the English monarchy.

Caterina van Hemessen was born in Antwerp, Belgium (Flanders). She learned to paint from her famous father, Mannerist painter Jan Sanders van Hemessen, and collaborated with him on some of his paintings.

Van Hemessen's subjects were mostly the affluent men and women of her day with Queen Mary of Hungary, Regent of the Low Countries, as her main patron and sponsor. She also taught art to male students.

Van Hemessen mostly painted her small portraits with the subjects (often) seated and set against a plain, dark background. She painted realistically and many scholars believe she originated the 'self-portrait'.