Abigail de Andrade
We’re in Brazil in the 19th century and an unprecedented situation happens: for the first time the Imperial Academy of Fine Arts awards a prize to a woman, the young artist Abigail de Andrade (1864-1891), who unfortunately doesn't figure in the books of art history. Even so, it is worth saying that she had an important artistic production, despite premature death and the difficulty of being a woman and an artist, due to the historical period in which she lived and the society of which she was a part.
One of the awarded works was A Corner of My Studio, produced in 1884, and one of the most beautiful and powerful works of Abigail. The paint shows not only her place of work, but also her professional affirmation in a universe dominated by men.
It is a beautiful piece: the painter, in the center of the image, works on a canvas, talking to her aunt. The objects around her (sculptures, studies, portraits) demonstrate the artist's constant training on her own technique.
Abigail doesn't represent her face, emphasizing the execution of her work. She intends to affirm herself as an artist, as a professional, in an activity that at the time women developed as a hobby.
She died very young at the age of 27, after moving to France with the man she loved, who was also an artist and was her teacher. Abigail's work is extremely strong with regard to female representation and it certainly should not be forgotten.
- Rute Ferreira
If you would like to know more about this Brazilian artist, read the article "The beautiful self-portraits of Abigail de Andrade" by Rute.