Surprising Sofonisha

When we think of the Italian Renassiance we think male artists, right?   

However, there were a few women who spent their time with canvas and paint……Sofonisha Anguissola is one.   She lived from 1532 to 1635 and once she was introduced to Michelangelo he immediately recognized her talent.  Eventually she would serve as a court painter for the Spanish court.

She is known for painting self and family portraits.  Later in life she would use religious themes, but sadly many of those were lost.

Her parents named her after Sophobisba….a Carthaginian noble woman who killed herself rather than falling victim to the Romans during the Punic Wars.

Though she was allowed to paint she was still unable to study anatomy or drawing from life like male painters…she was not allowed to view nudes in order to gain the knowledge she needed.  

Instead of allowing this to be a negative, Sofonisha turned it into a positive and did innovative things including new styles of portraiture, setting subjects informally.

At a time when male artists were creating large-scale religious and historical scenes Sofonisha created self-portraits and scenes with her family depicting everyday life.

For example….The Chess Game shows her sisters playing chess and includes a new element in painting….LAUGHTER!

Sofonisha Anguissola's The Chess Game

Sofonisha Anguissola's Self-Portrait at the Clavichord

Another example, shown above, includes a person in action.  This is a self-portrait at the clavichord.