I
mentioned in my last post that women artists of the past were keen to
picture themselves at work at their easels or drawing boards. Not one
to trust unsubstantiated statements myself, I thought I would provide a
picture based post to show some of these images (There is a much larger
selection to see on my Pinterest page
https://www.pinterest.com/thevictoriastor/self-portraits-female-artists/). Palette in hand, they are actively engaged in their subject. They (nearly) all stare straight at you, not glancing coyly to the side, or gazing coquettishlly at the viewer. They're just looking, getting on with it, active.
To see women as active doers in an historical painting is refreshing. So often, the female figure is sprawled naked, standing naked, posing stiffly in expensive fabrics or holding The Baby. Here, they have their hands on the tools of their industry, their gaze fixed ahead in concentration, looking at you, the mirror.
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| Rolinda Sharples and her Mother, probably telling her off for not keeping her back straight. |
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| Judith Leyster. "Hey, come on in but don't disturb my painting" |
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| Sofonisba Anguissola, keeping a straight face |
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| Anna Marie Ellenrieder, looking intently stage left |
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| Rosalba Carriera, showing off the goods |
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| Adelaide Labille-Guiard, passin' on the knowledge to the sisterhood |
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| Henriette Lorimier, sketching in her negligee |
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| Giovanni Fratellini, throwing a casual glance |
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