Mary Beale, Self-portrait, 1675-80, © Moyse’s Hall Museum, Bury St Edmunds.
Week Three: A Baroque Abundance.
Our growing awareness of women artists throughout history poses many questions: why were there so few, how did they become artists, and why have we heard so little about those who were successful? In this three-week short course by National Gallery lecturer Dr Richard Stemp, we examine a rich variety of works by women and analyse the reasons behind their obscurity and struggles for recognition in their own right.
In the 17th century the changing attitudes towards art in general led to changing attitudes towards artists, which meant that there could be more women working. We will, of course, consider Artemisia Gentileschi, but she was by no means the first. Lavinia Fontana was undoubtedly a great inspiration, and anticipated many of Artemisia’s innovations, but Galizia Fede, until recently almost unknown, was also an important precedent.
It was not just in Italy that women were successful: Judith Leyster became a member of the Guild of St Luke in Haarlem, and even took on her own male apprentices. Still in the Netherlands Rachel Ruysch and Clara Peeters both had productive careers in Still Life. In England Mary Beale was a much sought-after portraitist. Luisa Roldán became not only the first woman in Spain to maintain a studio outside a convent, but also Spain’s first successful female sculptor. In this third lecture we will be faced with an appropriately baroque abundance, with more vitality and creativity than you would suspect.
On-demand recordings of Weeks One and Two are available. Please contact us.
Proceeds from our ticket sales benefit museums, galleries and other arts-based organisations and projects.
This is an online event hosted on Zoom which can be watched live, or on-demand for three weeks afterwards. You will receive your link to access the event in your email confirmation and the on-demand link after the event ends.