Several self-portraits acquaint us with Sofonisba Anguissola, who lived from 1531 through 1626, is an example of a Renaissance humanist painter: her portraits show the individuality of each of her subjects. She was of noble background, and four of her five sisters were painters. Follow the link to a gallery of self-portraits by women painters.
Related articles:
- About This Picture
- Women Artists of the 16th Century: Renaissance and Baroque Painters, Sculptors and Engravers
- Another Sofonisba Anguissola Self Portrait
- Paintings by Women Artists Depicting Themselves
- Women Artists of the Sixteenth Century: Renaissance and Baroque
- Women Artists of the Seventeenth Century: Renaissance and Baroque
- Around About: Pictures of the Week
Image: Hulton Archive / Imagno / Getty Images
Comments
We almost never hear of woman artists of the Renaissance and Baroque periods. Thanks for writing about Sofonisba Anguissola; I’m sure I’d never have learned about her any other way!
I think self portraits are fascinating. This one is especially so. There’s something almost modern about the distortion of the face, with the over-large eyes–different from the other one in the gallery. I also love the Mary Cassatt.
Thank you for writing about this today. I just assumed any female artists of those periods in history were buried deep in the ashes of all other talented women.