Plautilla Nelli
We don't know many women artists from the Renaissance ... but there were a couple of brave artists who wanted to show their talent in this difficult world, where women didn't have many professional or artistic opportunities. One of them was Sister Plautilla Nelli, a self-taught nun-artist and the first known female Renaissance painter of Florence. She was a nun of the Dominican convent of St. Catherine of Siena located in Piazza San Marco, Florence, and was heavily influenced by the teachings of Savonarola and by the artwork of Fra Bartolomeo.
Nelli had the favor of many patrons (including women), executing large pieces and miniatures that we know about because the 16th-century art historian and specialist in artists' gossip, Giorgio Vasari, mentioned her in his famous Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects. Her work is characterized by religious themes, with vivid portrayals of emotion on her characters' faces. Nelli lacked any formal training; she copied the works of the mannerist painter Agnolo Bronzino and high Renaissance painter Andrea del Sarto, but her primary source of inspiration came from copying the works of Fra Bartolomeo.
Today we present one of her drawings, maybe a study for a regular painting. Beautiful, isn't it?
P.S. If you are fascinated by Sister Plautilla Nelli, we offer a few important facts about her. She is featured in our Women Artists 50 Postcard set, along with other 49 amazing artists. You can check it out in the DailyArt Shop. :)