Sofonisba Anguissola
Born – Cremona, Italy c.1527
Died – Palermo, Italy c.1625
The best-known female artist of the sixteenth century, Sofonisba Anguissola was born into a noble Italian family. Her mother died young, leaving her wealthy husband with five talented daughters. Unusually, this liberal father gave his daughters a full classical education, which included learning to paint. It was this enlightened attitude that enabled Anguissola to earn her own living as a portrait painter in the Spanish court and helped her to transcend the constraints of her class and gender. In Three Sister Playing Chess Anguissola breaks with tradition by concentrating on those scenes or models available to her. Placing her sisters in a domestic setting gives the portrait an immediacy, which allowed the contemporary Italian art historian Vasari t attribute to her the development of the conventional portrait, as opposed to the formal frontal or profile portrait. Although there are undoubtedly technical faults with the composition, particularly the perspective, each of the sisters comes across as a well-realized individual. Their relationship to each is rendered with a tenderness and informality.
Masterpieces:
- Self-Portrait
- Portrait of a Young Nobleman
Text: The A-Z of Art, Nicola Hodge and Libby Anson.
Books About sofonisba anguissola
Sofonisba Anguissola: The First Great Woman Artist of the Renaissance
Ilya Sandra Perlingieri
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Sofonisba Anguissola: A Renaissance Woman
Sylvia Ferino-Pagden
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Women in Italian Renaissance Art: Gender, Representation and Identity
Paola Tinagli
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