For centuries, Renaissance art history was an exclusive gentlemen’s club with genius men, dramatic patrons, and women mostly appearing as muses, saints, or decorative background figures holding fruit. But behind all of that, there were women artists who painted against the grain of society itself. Here are four women artists who ruled during the Renaissance.
Born into a noble family in Cremona, Italy, in the 1530s, Sofonisba had a father who believed his daughters deserved education and artistic training. Which eventually worked out beautifully for her.
Unlike many male Renaissance painters who focused on large religious frescoes or mythological spectacle, Sofonisba became a master of portraiture. Her subjects had expressions which carried vulnerability, wit, exhaustion, vanity and curiosity. She eventually went to the Spanish court of King Philip II and served as court painter and companion to Queen Elisabeth of Valois. Art historians often describe her as a bridge between the elegance of the Renaissance and the psychological realism that would later dominate European portraiture.
Lavinia Fontana was one of the first professional female artists in Europe. Working in Bologna during the late Renaissance, she built a thriving studio practice and earned commissions from aristocrats, clergy, and many wealthy patrons. Her paintings became known for their jewel-like richness. Women artists were usually blocked from studying nude anatomy because society believed it improper. But Lavinia pushed through those limitations and became one of the first women to paint female nudes on a large scale. That was a big deal during a time when mastery of the human body was considered the gold standard of artistic legitimacy. She also managed a prolific career while raising 11 children. Her portraits carry the fascinating duality of opulence and intimacy.
Born in Florence in 1524, Plautilla Nelli entered a Dominican convent at a young age, where she began teaching herself to paint by copying sketches and studying the works of Renaissance masters. She is best remembered for creating what is believed to be the first known The Last Supper painted by a woman. Which is a monumental achievement considering the theological significance associated with the subject. The figures feel contemplative and humane. There’s softness in the gestures, intimacy in the faces, and a spiritual quietness that distinguishes her work from many of her male contemporaries. For centuries, much of her work remained forgotten or misattributed. Recently, however, restoration projects and feminist art historians have revived interest in her paintings — and rightly so.
Caterina van Hemessen painted her self portrait back in the 16th century. Her 1548 self-portrait is considered one of the earliest known paintings showing an artist seated at an easel in the act of creation. She worked in the Flemish Renaissance tradition and specialised in small-scale portraits rich with Northern European precision and detail. Her works carried controlled compositions and an extraordinary sensitivity to facial expression. Male painters were automatically granted professional legitimacy while women had to visually argue for it. Caterina did exactly that with a paintbrush in hand. The Renaissance loved the idea of genius, but it often refused to imagine women possessing it. These artists forced the world to reconsider.