Sofonisba Anguissola (1532–1625) — an Italian artist who managed to succeed in times when women were perceived solely as machines for giving birth and raising children. Such, for example, was her mother, who gave birth to six children in five years. Unfortunately, she could not withstand such a burden and died. Sofonisba was then 5 years old, she was the eldest, she took care of her younger sisters and brother to the best of her ability and capabilities, even giving them painting lessons. However, she was the only one who seriously took up painting: some of the sisters got married and forgot "this nonsense", and those who were not lucky enough to find a husband were forced to go to a monastery.
Portrait of the Artist's Sisters Playing Chess. 1555. Lucia is first on the left, and next to her are the two younger sisters, Minerva and Europa.
Her very talented sister Lucia, who showed great promise in painting, died at the age of 25. But all the girls, although they came from an aristocratic family, had some kind of craft, which was generally out of the ordinary. It's just that their father had very peculiar views on education for that time: he decided to educate them so that they could earn their own living, and not rely only on their husband.
Self-portrait
From an early age, Sofonisba demonstrated good abilities in painting. Her father was very proud of his daughter and took the most successful drawings to Michelangelo himself. He asked if she could draw a crying child, since it was much easier to depict a laughing one. Sofonisba did it, and Michelangelo promised the girl a great future in painting, although he strongly advised her to get married quickly and not take on such a heavy burden. By the way, Sofonisba drew children very well, and not in the way that was accepted at that time: reduced copies of adults, but taking into account all the features of the child's appearance and physiology.
Crying baby or Baby bitten by a crab.
Sofonisba continued to study painting with the artist Giulio Campi. She was sincerely grateful to him and even painted his portrait, where he depicted his favorite student. That is, Sofonisba could already experiment with some non-standard moves and original composition, which testified to her unconditional mastery.
Portrait of Bernardino Campi by Sofonisba Anguissola
But there were difficulties. No one thought of teaching women anatomy, especially male anatomy, since it was considered the height of indecency. In fact, unmarried girls could only get some idea of it from the available sculptures of ancient heroes and gods. But still, the lack of proper knowledge seriously interfered with the work. And if you depict it too authentically, they will say: "a fallen woman who stared at naked men." Therefore, in order to hide some gaps in anatomy, Sofonisba became the inventor of a new genre - family portraits, where children can be depicted in the foreground, which the artist did especially well.
Amilcar, Hasdrubal and Europa Anguissola. (Portrait Group with the Artist’s Father, Brother and Sister. 1558)
The new genre was liked by everyone, including the richest and most influential customers. For example, the Spanish Duke of Alba commissioned her to paint a portrait, and then invited her to the wedding of Philip the Fair and Elizabeth of Valois. Sofonisba took full advantage of her chance: when the white dance was announced, she went straight to King Philip and invited him. The king and the artist had a nice conversation during the dance, and soon Sofonisba got the opportunity to become Elizabeth of Valois's maid of honor.
Portrait of Elisabeth of Valois
Of course, this was only a cover, since no one would risk hiring a woman for the most prestigious and respected position of court artist. But it was no longer forbidden to commission her portraits. Philip II favored Sofonisba, gave her lucrative orders, and then appointed a good boarding house.
She lived a very long life - 93 years, was married twice: her first husband died of the plague, and Sofonisba, having mourned for the required time, married a second time to the captain of the ship on which she sailed to Genoa.
Portrait of a Young Lady (Eleanor de Medici).
She traveled all over Europe, traveled a lot and worked even more, and was deservedly considered one of the most respected portraitists of that time. She painted her last self-portrait at the age of 88, and always adhered to a simple rule, which she expressed in a quote: "life is full of surprises, and I try to capture these precious moments with my eyes wide open."
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