Woman artists XVI-XVII centuries SOFONISBA ANGUISSOLA (1531-1626)- was one the six daughters of a nobleman of Cremona, Amilcare Anguissola. Her sisters Elena, Europa, Anna Maria, and Lucia were also painters. Elena curtailed her career to become a nun, Europa and Anna Maria married and apparently did not further their artistic inclinations. Lucia, whose talents were considerable died young and few of her paintings survive, the best-known being the portrait of Dr. Pietro Maria. Sofonisba was to have a long and distinguished career. She was appointed painter to the court of King Philip II of Spain. She was the first woman artist to achieve international renown, being called to Spain by Philip II and visited by Van Dyck in Genoa in 1623, when she was in her nineties. Her self-portraits and portraits of her family are considered her finest works; they are somewhat stiff, but can have great charm. LAVINIA FONTANA (1552-1614) -was born in Bologna, Italy, was the daughter of the artist Prospero Fontana who trained her.
A painter of portraits and mythological works she was a prolific painter despite being the mother of eleven children. She was summoned by Pope Clement VIII where she painted The Martyrdom of St. Stephen for the basilicaaa of San PaoloFuori.
She was the first woman to receive commissions for public paintings and was elected to the Roman Academy. She produced 135 documented paintings. Perhaps most important, she expanded the range of work made available to women painters, receiving commissions from both the private and public sectors. FEDE GALIZIA (1578-1630)-artist best known for her still life paintings although she was also an accomplished portraitist. By the time she was twelve, her skill as a painter was already well-known.
Until the 17th century, still life paintings were rare in Italy. She also painted some portraits and religious scenes and was commissioned to do several altarpieces in Milan, but realistic still-life with fruit in a bowl is what she's most known for today. MARIETA ROBUSTI TINTOTETTO (1560-1590)- born and lived in Venice. Marietta Robusti was known as La Tintoretta. She was the daughter of the artist Jacobo Rubusti who was better known as Tintoretto. Of Jacobo's eight children, Marietta and her three brothers were all apprenticed in their father's art workshop. In Tintoretto's biography by Ridolfi published in 1648, Marietta is said to exemplify the ideal of womanhood for the time in that she was well-educated, artistic and a skilled musician. Her paintings are of a standard as to have been frequently confused with those of her father's.
