Self portraiture in Europe during the Renaissance served as a practice to both attract business and to prove that one was affluent and respected; when adding in the female gender to this mix, it was of the upmost importance that viewers of the self-portraits could become particularly aware of the artist’s talent. By looking specifically at two self-portraits done by women in Europe during the 17th century (one from Northern Europe and the other from Italy), this paper will help discern what it took to become a successful woman artist during the Renaissance and what requirements a self-portrait done by a woman would need to fulfill. The two women artists and the works being looked at include, Artemisia Gentileschi’s Self-Portrait as the Allegory
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Beginning with the self-portrait by Artemisia Gentileschi, Self-Portrait as the Allegory of Painting, one can see a voluptuous woman with disheveled hair, hard at work painting a canvas. She holds a pallet in the hand she is not painting with, and she looks away from the viewer, but the viewer is still invited into the actual setting of the painting because of the expert foreshortening Gentileschi has used. The narrative she paints is this: she is proclaiming herself as the embodiment (allegory) of painting, she is diligent in her work, her outfit and jewelry let the viewer know that she is well to do, and that she can use complex devices like chiaroscuro, perspective, and foreshortening—just as the male artists were doing at the same time. As one delves deeper into the iconography present in the piece, words from Mary D. Garrard’s “Artemisia Gentileschi’s Self-Portrait as the Allegory of Painting” help make a viewer, a knowing viewer. In her article she states (talking about the iconography present), “a golden chain around her neck with a pendant mask which stands for imitation, unruly locks of hair which symbolize the divine frenzy of the artistic …show more content…
Examples of these prevailing narrative themes are evident in two works by earlier Italian Renaissance artists, the Self-Portrait in a Studio of Lavinia Fontana, and the Self-Portrait While Painting the Madonna and Child of Sofonisba Anguissola1. Both pieces show the artists in their place of work, Fontana in a studio showcasing her ability to play the piano (which indicates that she is well educated and wealthy enough to have a servant stand behind her with sheets of music), and Anguissola paints an adoring image of a young Christ whispering into the Virgin Mary’s ear. As one can see, this pattern of showing the artist’s talents on a self-portrait was much like submitting a resume. Aside from the obvious talent that women artists had to possess in order to distinguish themselves as artists in a time so misogynistic and oppressive of the genius of women, they also (by in large) had to come from familial lines that included some sort of paternal artist figure (so they could garner some sort of apprenticeship or work in their father’s workshop), and they usually had to convey that they were modest women through their art. They also usually had some level of education, and through this they could learn
Beginning with the self-portrait by Artemisia Gentileschi, Self-Portrait as the Allegory of Painting, one can see a voluptuous woman with disheveled hair, hard at work painting a canvas. She holds a pallet in the hand she is not painting with, and she looks away from the viewer, but the viewer is still invited into the actual setting of the painting because of the expert foreshortening Gentileschi has used. The narrative she paints is this: she is proclaiming herself as the embodiment (allegory) of painting, she is diligent in her work, her outfit and jewelry let the viewer know that she is well to do, and that she can use complex devices like chiaroscuro, perspective, and foreshortening—just as the male artists were doing at the same time. As one delves deeper into the iconography present in the piece, words from Mary D. Garrard’s “Artemisia Gentileschi’s Self-Portrait as the Allegory of Painting” help make a viewer, a knowing viewer. In her article she states (talking about the iconography present), “a golden chain around her neck with a pendant mask which stands for imitation, unruly locks of hair which symbolize the divine frenzy of the artistic …show more content…
Examples of these prevailing narrative themes are evident in two works by earlier Italian Renaissance artists, the Self-Portrait in a Studio of Lavinia Fontana, and the Self-Portrait While Painting the Madonna and Child of Sofonisba Anguissola1. Both pieces show the artists in their place of work, Fontana in a studio showcasing her ability to play the piano (which indicates that she is well educated and wealthy enough to have a servant stand behind her with sheets of music), and Anguissola paints an adoring image of a young Christ whispering into the Virgin Mary’s ear. As one can see, this pattern of showing the artist’s talents on a self-portrait was much like submitting a resume. Aside from the obvious talent that women artists had to possess in order to distinguish themselves as artists in a time so misogynistic and oppressive of the genius of women, they also (by in large) had to come from familial lines that included some sort of paternal artist figure (so they could garner some sort of apprenticeship or work in their father’s workshop), and they usually had to convey that they were modest women through their art. They also usually had some level of education, and through this they could learn