Sofonisba Anguissola, The Chess Game, 1555.
Week Two: A Renaissance for Women.
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 Week Two, having left the seclusion of the convent behind, we will head out into a world where the majority of female painters were still the daughters of artists. Some of them became hugely successful in their own right, whereas others were never allowed to leave the nest. However, there was a new phenomenon: women who learned to paint as a lady-like accomplishment, and who became sufficiently good to have something like a career. There were even those who were successful enough to be considered professional artists, with assistants, and agents, and sometimes even both.
All of this week’s heroines were working in the 16th century, and will include Caterina van Hemessen, Sofonisba Anguissola, Levina Teerlinc and Lavinia Fontana – not to mention an even greater rarity, the Renaissance ‘sculptress’, Properzia de’ Rossi.
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.