Sofonisba Anguissola
We continue Women's History Month with this portrait of a lady, created by Sofonisba Anguissola. Enjoy!
Sofonisba was an Italian Renaissance painter born in Cremona to a relatively poor noble family. She received a well-rounded education that included the fine arts, and her apprenticeship with local painters set a precedent for women to be accepted as students of art. As a young woman, Anguissola traveled to Rome where she was introduced to Michelangelo, who immediately recognized her talent, and to Milan, where she painted the Duke of Alba. The Spanish queen Elizabeth of Valois was a keen amateur painter, and in 1559 Anguissola was recruited to go to Madrid as her tutor, with the rank of lady-in-waiting. She later became an official court painter to the king, Philip II, and adapted her style to the more formal requirements of official portraits for the Spanish court. After the queen's death, Philip helped arrange an aristocratic marriage for her. She moved to Sicily, and later Pisa and Genoa, where she continued to practice as a leading portrait painter.
Her most distinctive and attractive paintings are her portraits of herself and her family, painted before she moved to the Spanish court. In particular her depictions of children were fresh and closely observed. At the Spanish court she painted formal state portraits in the prevailing official style. In later life, she also painted religious themes, although many of her religious paintings have been lost. In 1625, she died at age ninety-three in Palermo.
Interested? We have for you something more about the artist! Have a glimpse at the article on DailyArt Magazine "My name is Sofonisba And I’m Michelangelo’s Gal".