Women have been present in the history of art since cave paintings. Not many names have truly transcended into the collective imagination though. However, as we begin to investigate a little, more and more successful women artists emerge, creating a full new vision of our History.
In most cases, however, their successes come from the sum of exceptional circumstances. Common points can be traced among women artists from the Renaissance to the Baroque period. Let's analyze them:
o Same as men, they come from artist’s families. Generally, the head of the family owns a workshop and belongs to the painters' guild. It is through instruction passed down from parents to children that these they can learn the art of drawing and painting (remember that they were forbidden from attending schools and academies).
o The fathers of these artists are usually not individuals who have achieved professional success and fame. Unfortunately, in such cases, the children tend to remain in the shadow of paternal success. This implies that there is no abundance of money in the family home, and thus, it is necessary for women to also participate in the family economy. This opens up spaces that are normally reserved for men only.
o Additionally, these women artists must be firstborn and come from families with no male children. The moment a male slightly talented appears, he becomes the chosen one to receive artistic training.
This leads us to think about those women who worked in more successful workshops or had male siblings. We’ll probably never know their names since their works were signed with the name of the workshop's artist. Many times, these potential artists also married painters, and their own work ended up being attributed to their father, brother or husband. That’s probably the case of Velazquez’s wife, Juana Pacheco, among many others.
My commendation today includes three painters you shouldn't miss: The Italian trio of the High Renaissance and Baroque - Sofonisba Anguissola, Lavinia Fontana, and Artemisia Gentileschi.
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