Compare and contrast the works of two female artists: one pre-twentieth century and one contemporary artist. This essay compares and contrasts the art of two female artists from two different historical art periods. Artemisia Gentileschi from the Baroque Period where females were not recognised as artists in contrast to Lee Krasner who was from the American Abstract Expressionism Movement, where women were recognised for their contribution to art. It was modern times and women’s liberation was in full swing by the 1960’s in America. Baroque Art and American Abstract Expressionism two very different major periods in the history of art, during which forms of art significantly progressed. During these eras, many artists gained recognition …show more content…
As with most females who are driven by emotion, they can endure the most horrific of crimes against them and still nurture their children. Artemisia Gentileschi, 1593 – c 1656, began painting from a young age and was trained by her father Orazio Gentileschi, who was also a painter. At age seventeen, Orazio realised that he had nothing left to teach Artemisia. Artemisia went on to study the works of Caravaggio and became the one and only Caravaggista. She was the most accomplished artist in the generation following Caravaggio. When her paintings were displayed along side the works of her father, it was evident that her skills had progressed beyond her fathers. She was never given the recognition she deserved because she was a …show more content…
She began to paint heroic looking women as a result of the rape and in particular, Susana was a reflection of herself. Whether subconsciously or deliberately, it was evident in her paintings that she had been raped and it was the driving force behind the heroic and masculine looking women. The rape incident attracted her notoriety as a tramp, and detracted from her skills as an artist. In Susana and the Elders, Susana a beautiful young maiden is spied upon at her bath by two elders, who approach her as her servant leaves to fetch oils and balsams. Taking advantage of her vulnerability they proposition her threatening to accuse her of adulterous acts with a young man if she does not comply. She refuses their advances, even with the threat of being stoned to death as the punishment. At her trial the young Daniel separates the elders only to find that their testimonies differ. They, rather than Susana, are stoned to death for bearing false witness. At age nineteen, Artemisia marries Pierantonio Stiattesi, also an artist and moves to Florence. It is here in Florence that she receives a commission for a painting. She becomes a successful court painter and enjoys the patronage of the Medici family as well as Charles
Artemisia Gentileschi (Rome 1593 - Naples 1652/53) was a Roman painter, daughter of the painter Orazio Gentileschi and Prudenza Montone (who died when Artemisia was twelve). First of six children (all males), at a very early age was initiated to painting by her father, a follower of Caravaggio.
Artemisia was born on July 8 of 1652 in Naples, Italy. She has been credited as one of the most famous female artists of the Baroque period. Her father, Orazio Gentileschi, helped her develop her skills as he was an artist as well. In her early life, she lost her mother at the age of twelve years of age, which may have led to her style of artwork. Another possible contributing factor is that she was raped by one of her father’s colleagues named Agastino Tassi. She married a Florence painter named Pietro Antonio di Vicenzo Stiattesi, and moved to Florence with him. Together, they had one female child. She befriended many artists, thinkers, and writers during her time, which included Galileo the astronomer. She was a female artist in a male dominated art world of her time, and succeeded at standing out.
Prior to the 20th century, female artists were the minority members of the art world (Montfort). They lacked formal training and therefore were not taken seriously. If they did paint, it was generally assumed they had a relative who was a relatively well known male painter. Women usually worked with still lifes and miniatures which were the “lowest” in the hierarchy of genres, bible scenes, history, and mythological paintings being at the top (Montfort). To be able to paint the more respected genres, one had to have experience studying anatomy and drawing the male nude, both activities considered t...
Sofonisba Anguissola was one of the most prominent female painters of the Renaissance. Not only was she one of only four women mentioned by Giorgio Vasari in his famous Lives of the Artists, she also paved the way for later female artists. One may look at Sofonisba’s upbringing and assume that her talents were a result of her wealth and family background. However, if investigated more carefully through both analytical secondary sources and primary sources, it becomes clear that Sofonisba’s painting abilities formed because of her talent, not her wealth. Sofonisba integrated herself into the artistic community and used her second-class status as a female painter to accelerate her career: because she was not able to study as an apprentice in a workshop, her models were usually family members, she pioneered the style of genre painting. Historian Joan Kelly argues in her essay, “Did Women Have a Renaissance?” that women did not experience a Renaissance during the actual Renaissance. Sofonisba’s training and connections were extremely helpful to launch her career, refuting Kelly’s argument that women only were taught “charm” during the Renaissance. In addition, Sofonisba married her second husband for love, not for money, debunking Kelly’s argument that marriages during the Renaissance were not based on love. Though Sofonisba’s life as a woman is a unique case in terms of wealth and profession, her success and fame, talent, and marriage (van dyck?) disprove Kelly’s argument that women did not have a Renaissance during the Renaissance.
Whitney Chadwick, Women, Art, and Society 3rd ed. (NY: Thames & Hudson world of art, 2002), 153-160.
Artemisia Gentileschi (1593 – 1652), daughter of a well-known Roman artist, was one of the first women to become recognized in her time for her work.. She was noted for being a genius in the world of art. But because she was displaying a talent thought to be exclusively for men, she was frowned upon. However by the time she turned seventeen she had created one of her best works. One of her more famous paintings was her stunning interpretation of Susanna and the Elders. This was all because of her father. He was an artist himself and he had trained her and introduced her to working artists of Rome, including Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio. 1. In an era when women artists were limited to painting portraits, she was the first to paint major historical and religious scenes. After her death, people seemed to forget about her. Her works of art were often mistaken for those of her fathers. An art historian on Artemisia, Mary D. Garrard notes that Artemisia “has suffered a scholarly neglect that is unthinkable for an artist of her caliber.” Renewed and long overdue interest in Artemisia recently has helped to recognize her as a talented renaissance painter and one of the world’s greatest female artists. She played a very important role in the renaissance.
Art could be displayed in many different forms; through photography, zines, poetry, or even a scrapbook. There are many inspirational women artists throughout history, including famous women artists such Artemisia Gentileschi and Georgia O’Keeffe. When searching for famous female artists that stood out to me, I found Frida Kahlo, and Barbara Kruger. Two very contrasting type of artists, though both extremely artistic. Both of these artists are known to be feminists, and displayed their issues through painting and photography. Frida Kahlo and Barbara Kruger’s social and historical significance will be discussed.
Frida was born around the beginning of the Mexican Revolution and the overthrowing of the President of Mexico,Porfirio Diaz. However, Artemisia Gentileschi was from the Baroque period; the baroque period was a more peaceful era than the mexican revolution. The baroque period consisted of poets, painting, architecture, and etc. The way that Artemisia learned to paint was from her father, who was also a painter. Her life did not consist of butterflies and daisies. She experienced of the most heartbreaking thing a child could come to know; her father died when she was
This investigation will examine a few key works by the anonymous female artist group know in popular culture as the Guerrilla Girls. In this essay it will reveal several prominent themes within the groups works that uncover the racial and gender inequalities in politics, art and pop culture with the use of humor. These collaborating artists work and operate with a variety of mediums, their works display a strong message concerned with activism connected by humor allowing the Guerrilla Girls to communicate and resonate a more powerful message to the viewer. The ways in which this collaborating group has employed many questions and facts against the hierarchy and historical ideologies which have exploited women and their roles in art. This investigation will allow the reader to identify three areas in which the Guerrilla Girls apply a certain forms of humor to transform society’s view on the prominent issue of gender in the art world. These specific ploys that are performed by the Guerrilla Girls are in the way they dress, the masks they wear, pseudonymous names of dead women artists and the witty factual evidence in their works. These are all examples to evoke audiences in challenging not only the art society which dictates the value and worth of women in art but also to confront yourself and your own beliefs in a way that makes audiences rethink these growing issues.
Sofonisba Anguissola was born in the year of c. 1502 in Cremona, Italy. Her parents were Bianca Ponzoni Anguissola and Amilcare Anguissola. Sofonisba had six siblings in total, and from them all she was the oldest. Her parents were a wealthy family. Her father read a book called II Cortegiano, which helped him guide him for a proper education of a young woman. In 1546, her sister Elena and her were sent to a to stay in the household of Bernardino Campi, whom was a prominent local painter. They remained for three years under the instruction of Campi, until he moved to Milan. Sofonisba continued her training with him. She started to really admire Correggio's paintings. During this time, she received encouragement from Michelangelo by copying
Art is a very important part of humanity’s history, and it can be found anywhere from the walls of caves to the halls of museums. The artists that created these works of art were influenced by a multitude of factors including personal issues, politics, and other art movements. Frida Kahlo and Vincent van Gogh, two wildly popular artists, have left behind artwork, that to this day, influences and fascinates people around the world. Their painting styles and personal lives are vastly different, but both artists managed to capture the emotions that they were feeling and used them to create artwork.
Northern and Italian Baroque art were unique in their own ways but were also similar as well. While Northern Baroque Art aimed for excitement and move viewers in an emotional sense, Italian Baroque art was more detailed and captured the personality of the figure. The arts compared to one another by the use of self-portraits and the famous feature of light and dark as well. Art back in the 17th and 18th century was the center of everything and much more important back then compared to how it is now.
Aristotle once claimed that, “The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.” Artists, such as Louise-Elizabeth Vigée Le Brun and Mary Cassatt, captured not only the way things physically appeared on the outside, but also the emotions that were transpiring on the inside. A part no always visible to the viewer. While both artists, Le Brun and Cassatt, worked within the perimeters of their artistic cultures --the 18th century in which female artists were excluded and the 19th century, in which women were artistically limited-- they were able to capture the loving relationship between mother and child, but in works such as Marie Antoinette and Her Children and Mother Nursing her Child 1898,
Florence during the Renaissance period was a vibrant arts center, an opportune locale for Michelangelo’s innate talents to develop and flourish. His mother died when he was 6. Florence seemed to be a perfect city to raise a child with such artistic ambition. Michelangelo began to show an interest in art and drawing by the age of ten, and became an apprentice by age 12. At the young age of 13, Michelangelo was set to be an artist. He persuaded his father to allow him to leave his grammar school and become an apprentice to the artist Domenico Ghirlandaio. Ghirlandaio was known as one of the most successful Florentine Renaissance fresco painters of this time. After about one year of learning the art of fresco, Michelangelo went on to study at the sculpture school in the Medici gardens. There Michelangelo's skill attracted the personal attention of Lorenzo de' Medici, The Magnificent, who was effective ruler of Florence at the time. He was so impressed by a statue that Michelangelo was carving that he invited him to live in the Medici household.
Rossetti shows us the woman being painted as many different things. Although she is just a painting, the woman symbolizes how the artist views women in real life: as objects. Irony is used when the woman is painted as “a queen”(5). She is put on a pedestal in a position of power, yet she is only described as being “in [an] opal or ruby dress”(5), cementing her role as an ornament. The ruby symbolizes passion and perhaps promiscuity. Opal is a white stone that reflects many colors. White symbolizes purity; while the different colors reflected symbolize how her meaning can change, and how the artist controls her identity and can make her fit any persona he desires. The woman is also depicted as a “nameless girl”(6), indicating her identity is not important to the artist. It also shows that he does not personally know the women he’s painting, but only their looks, affirming that he bases their value off of their appearances. Lastly, the artist portrays a woman as “a saint [and] an angel”(7) and compares her to the “moon”(11), an allusion to Artemis, the goddess of virginity. In this painting, she is established as a pure virgin, which was a requirement of the time period Rossetti lived in. However, because it is one of the fantasies the artist creates, and the poem antagonizes him, this line also expresses the idea that a woman’s purity should not define her. He makes the innocent virgin and the licentious queen the only ways women can be viewed. Yet, they are the same to him. Lacking depth, their physical description is the only thing giving them any meaning. Rossetti describing the portraits conveys the idea that no matter the position in society; or what their actual personalities are like, women are just blank canvases for men to project their fantasies onto. Uninterested in a real person, the artist worships the idea of a