# "I will show your Excellency what a woman can do"



## Giovanna Clairval

"I will show your Excellency what a woman can do," said the 16th century Italian painter Artemisia Gentileschi to one of her patrons.


Almost all female artists (even those who were famous in their own times) have fallen into oblivion, but their much underrated work begins to be recognised.

An exposition at the Palazzo Reale in Milan (from the Renaissance to Surrealism), one in Washington (from Renaissance to Baroque), another (impressionists) to be held in Frankfurt,..., all focuse on women.


Here is my tribute to the great Artemisia:

*"Allegoria della Pittura"* (Allegory of Painting) (1638-39).


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## Giovanna Clairval

Women were considered capable of painting only portraits and imitative poses. In contrast with this tradition, *Artemisia Gentileschi*  painted powerful scenes.

After her death, her paintings were attributed to her father or other artists.


From Wikipedia: "(1651-1653), today considered one of the most accomplished painters in the generation influenced by Caravaggio. In an era when women painters were not easily accepted by the artistic community, she was the first female painter to become a member of the Accademia d'Arte del disegno in Florence. She was also one of the first female artists to paint historical and religious paintings, at a time when such heroic themes were considered beyond a woman's reach."

*
Judith Slaying Holophernes* (Uffizi version), circa 1620

.


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## Giovanna Clairval

Three centuries later, Georgia O'Keefe said:

"The men liked to put me down as the best woman painter. I think I'm one of the best painters."


This is *Red Canna*


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## Giovanna Clairval

[FONT=verdana, geneva, helvetica]*1) Giovanna Garzoni  (1600-1670)
*[/FONT][FONT=verdana, geneva, helvetica]One of the first women to paint still life studies, her  paintings were popular. She worked at the court of the Duke of Alcala, the court  of the Duke of Savoy and in Florence where members of the Medici family were  patrons. She was official court painter for the Grand Duke Ferdinando II.[/FONT]
[FONT=verdana, geneva, helvetica]
This is poster of one of her still life paintings 

*"A Bowl with Peas and Two Roses"

2) *[/FONT][FONT=verdana, geneva, helvetica]*Judith Leyster  (1609-1660)*: A Dutch painter who had her own workshop and students, she  produced most of her paintings before she married the painter Jan Miense  Molenaer. Her work was confused with that of Frans and Dirck Hals until her  rediscovery at the end of the 19th century and subsequent interest in her life  and work.

*"Jolly Toper" (1629)*
[/FONT]


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## HardScienceFan

darn,this is ******* unbeliveable

i was just going to post some Garzoni


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## Giovanna Clairval

Thank you, Ben. These are splendid. I had never seen the one with the hedgehog.

Did you know that "hedgehog" and the spiky coat around the chestnut (whassitcalled in AAAAnglish) are both called RICCIO in Italian (a little homonymy that Giovanna Garzoni represented here)?


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## HardScienceFan

all talented women are called Giovanna,it seems.
Mr Moderator,ban me please.
Excess flattery
 a capital crime
I stand accused

some MSM


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## Giovanna Clairval

Very beautiful! Thank you, Ben, for sharing.


[FONT=verdana, geneva, helvetica]*Josefa de Ayala        (Josefa de Óbidos) (1630-1684)*: A Portuguese artist, Josefa de Ayala painted a wide variety of themes, from portraits and still                life paintings to religion and mythology.

_
Take a look at the expressions on the faces. You will never see those on Italian baroque paintings of the Nativity._
[/FONT]


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## HardScienceFan

Charley Toorop

Self portarit with children


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## Giovanna Clairval

Strong, very strong. Powerful!

It's an anti-conformist's way of rendering a traditional area for female painters: the portrait.


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## j d worthington

Beautiful work -- and (save for the O'Keefe) mostly things I've never seen. Thanks for bringing these in and exposing me to them... and by all means, keep it going!


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## murphy

j. d. worthington said:


> Beautiful work (snip) Thanks for bringing these in and exposing me to them... and by all means, keep it going!


 
Ditto that.   Loved looking at the art.


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## Talysia

How beautiful!  It's great to see such art on here.  Thanks, Ben and Giovanna!


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## Giovanna Clairval

Thank you, fellow Chrons.

There are lots of exhibitions on female painters around the world as we write, so I thought our favourite forum should tune in.



1) *Lavinia Fontana* (1552-1614)

*"Ritratto di una nobildonna*" (Portrait of a Noblewoman)

It is (probably) the portrait of a Bolognese woman in her wedding gown. Red was the traditional wedding colour, as in classical Rome. In fact, the custom of wearing white dresses is very recent; white became popular in the nineteenth century.

2) And another painting by [FONT=verdana, geneva, helvetica]*Josefa de Ayala        (Josefa de Óbidos) (1630-1684)

*So graceful...

[/FONT]


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## HardScienceFan

i need help
my browser has been hijacked

it might be a very very very very very long time before i am back

maybe never


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## Giovanna Clairval

My comp is shutting down (upgrades are lurking in the background).

Just the time to post a painting from a contemporary surrealist, *Claude Cordier.*

Maybe *Acoma* will rescue Ben from the browser hijacking.

Oh, and I'll be back (just rebooting the darped thing).


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## Giovanna Clairval

Hey, Ben, the little green diode is on. Were you taken along with your browser?

I very much like [FONT=verdana, geneva, helvetica]*Josefa de Ayala        (Josefa de Óbidos)*[/FONT], Portuguese, but Spanish born baroque painter (already posted two paintings on the previous page).

Well, I'll post another one (ah, look at the facial expression!)

*Madalena*


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## Giovanna Clairval

[FONT=verdana, geneva, helvetica]*
Josefa de Ayala*, again...


*
Jose e menino *(Joseph and the Child)[/FONT]


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## Giovanna Clairval

*Sofonisba Anguissola* (1532-1625) Italian mannerist painter






 Sofonisba was one of the first women to gain a international reputation as a painter. Born in Cremona (Lombardy), she studied under Campi until he moved away and this established a precedent of encouraging male painters to take on female students. Michelangelo even sent her some drawings, which she copied and sent back to him for criticism. She was a prolific painter: more than 30 signed pictures survived from her years in Cremona, with a total of about 50 works that have been securely attributed to her. Late in her life she was visited by a young painter Anthony van Dyck. A drawing of her appears in his sketchbooks, along with excerpts of the advice she gave him about painting. Nevertheless it is clear that she was an innovative portraitist, whose international stature inspired many young women to become painters.

The lady in the golden dress is Bianca Ponzoni Anguissola (1557), the painter's family? Maybe yes and maybe no (Anguissola is a rather common name in Cremona)

The other is an Autoritratto of the artist (1561).


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