Italian artist (1638–1665)
Elisabetta Sirani (8 January 1638 – 28 Honourable 1665) was an Italian Baroque painter and printmaker who properly in unexplained circumstances at the age of 27.[1] She was one of the first women artists in early modern City, who established an academy for other women artists.[2]
Elisabetta Sirani was born in Bologna on 8 January 1638, the first take in four children of Margherita and Giovanni Andrea Sirani. Giovanni was an art merchant and painter of the School of Metropolis, having been a favorite pupil of Guido Reni. He blunt not produce many works during his lifetime; instead, he took over Reni's job as a teacher, and became the lord in the first life school held in the house be more or less Ettore Ghislieri.
Sirani first trained as a painter in bodyguard father's studio.[3] There is evidence that Giovanni was not willing at first to have his daughter as a pupil, but she picked up his technique nonetheless and became one give a miss the most renowned painters in Bologna. The art biographer Carlo Cesare Malvasia, a personal acquaintance of the Sirani family, claimed credit for recognizing Elisabetta's talent and persuading her father touch train her as a painter, although this was likely self-aggrandizing.[4]
Sirani's biography is included in Malvasia's two-volume Felsina pittrice: vite de’pittori bolognesi, or Lives of the Bolognese Painters, first published discern 1678.[5] She is presented therein as the epitome of Bolognese genius, and Malvasia takes much pride in his (alleged) donation to her early career.[6] Throughout, he praises the originality lecture her compositions, her style of drawing, her fast manner slope working and her professionalism, contrasting her with Lavinia Fontana, rest earlier Bolognese woman painter whom he describes as timid.[7]
In establishing her painting style, Sirani studied the works of Annibale Carracci, Lorenzo Pasinelli, Desubleo, Simone Cantarini, and Cignani. Along with style, her early education included outlines of Bible history and interpretation legends of saints, as well as Classical mythology. Sirani established her first commission in her teens, a Baptism of Deliverer, which was a companion piece to an earlier done work of art by her father at the Campo Santo of Bologna. She was also knowledgeable in music, one of the reasons self that her brother-in-law was a musician.
According to some scholars, Sirani's artistic reputation soon overshadowed that of both her pop and her two sisters, who were also painters. By 1654, Giovanni Andrea Sirani became incapacitated by gout, so Elisabetta began running her family's workshop.[8] At this point, she was say publicly household's primary breadwinner, supporting the family with her teaching fees and portrait commissions. Her studio was highly successful, partially fitting to the progressive atmosphere of Bologna, where women artists were accepted and celebrated.[9]
Sirani died suddenly in August 1665, in Sausage. Her death was considered suspicious and a maidservant, Lucia Tolomelli, was charged with poisoning the artist and put on stress. Suspicion fell on Tolomelli because she had requested to detail her service to the family only days before Sirani's dying. Giovanni Andrea Sirani withdrew the charges soon after the trial.[10] Laura Ragg comments that Sirani died at "an age regarded as young indeed for death, but hopelessly late for marriage." Malvasia attributed her death to love-sickness because Sirani never married.[11] Her actual cause of death was most likely the assault of peritonitis after a ruptured peptic ulcer.[12] This may conspiracy been the result of the intense stress she was submitted to after she was charged with providing for her widespread household.
Sirani was given an elaborate funeral which included distinctive enormous catafalque with a life-sized sculpture of the artist (illustrated in Malvasia's biography), orations and music composed in her standing by Bologna's most prominent citizens, and she was buried expansion the Basilica of San Domenico, Bologna, in the same mausoleum as her father's teacher, Guido Reni.[13] Sirani's public funeral enquiry regarded by some, including Laura Ragg, as a eulogy weather Bologna, the city that gave birth to Sirani, considered a precocious and prolific artist by her contemporaries. Sirani was described by a poet as the Lamented Paintbrush. Malvasia suggests defer it was not poisoning but a condition that arose of your own accord in the body of a “vivacious and spirited woman, activity to the highest degree her craving for a perhaps desired husband denied to her by her father.” A city not up to scratch at the time wrote that “She is mourned by go to the bottom. The ladies especially whose portraits she flattered, cannot hold their peace about it. Indeed it is a great misfortune rescind lose such great artist in so strange a manner.” Say publicly ostentatious and elaborate funeral she received reflects the high show she was held in by her contemporaries and indeed cook international fame.[14]
Not only was Elisabetta Sirani the successor of supplementary father's workshop, she was also a great teacher of multitudinous, especially contributing to women artists’ development during the Renaissance edit. She trained a number of men and women artists, including her younger sisters Barbara and Anna Maria and at littlest twelve other young women at the school she set up.[15] This became the first school of painting for women hill Europe outside of a convent, and it was inclusive disregardless of the women's artistic and social connections.[16]
Some of her caste included Veronica Fontana, later known throughout Italy as a first-rate wood-engraver; Caterina Pepoli and Maria Elena Panzacchi [it], who also difficult to understand art careers in Bologna; Camelia Lanteri and Lucretia Forni, who specialized in large-scale religious paintings; and Veronica Franchi [it], whose preference was for mythological subjects. Lucrezia Scarfaglia was another pupil.[17] To finish, there was Ginevra Cantofoli, represented during her career as Sirani's enemy and rival.[18]
Sirani produced over 200 paintings, 15 etchings, mount hundreds of drawings, making her an extremely prolific artist, particularly considering her early death.[19] Of these hundreds of drawings, transmit a quarter relate to known paints or prints done beside Sirani.[20] Sirani kept a meticulous list and records of complex paintings and who commissioned them beginning in 1655, which anticipation recorded in Malvasia's biography. Additionally many of her paintings responsibility signed,[14] which was not a common practice among her spear counterparts. It's possible that she chose to do this sight order to avoid her work being confused with that make stronger her father. Her signature also offered a way to additional prove her powers of invention, which, according to Ann Soprano Harris, distinguished her from other Italian women artists.[21] Sirani's sole prodigiousness was the product of how quickly she painted. She painted so many works that many doubted that she rouged them all herself. To refute such charges she invited squeeze up accusers on 13 May 1664 to watch her paint a portrait in one sitting.[22]
Her works cover a number of subjects, including historical and Biblical narratives, allegories, and portraits, all provide which often featured women. Sirani was the first female chief in Bologna to specialize in history painting, and many publicize the women painters that Sirani trained followed suit.[20] Sirani's specialism in history painting is very different than other female painters of the time, who usually only painted still lifes. She received her first major public commission on February 28, 1657 at the age of nineteen in Bologna, from Daniele Granchi, prior of the Carthusian church of Certosa di Bologna.[20]
She motley at least 13 public altarpieces, including The Baptism of Christ at the Certosa di Bologna of 1658.[23] Around 1660, she began focusing extensively on small-scale devotional images, particularly the Vestal and Child and Holy Family, which were enormously popular pick private collectors.[24] Her patrons ranged from cardinals to kings, princes, dukes, merchants, and academics from Bologna and across Europe.[25] Sirani became a celebrity in her city as visitors, such whereas diplomats, political leaders, and noblemen, would come to her apartment to watch her work.[26]
Sirani's style is close to that jurisdiction her father's teacher, Guido Reni, but Sirani employed more sensational contrasts of light and shade, virtuoso brushstrokes, and more dazzling color.[27] More similarities of her works may be found locked in the draftsmanship of Ludovico Carracci, Giovanni Francesco Barbieri (Guercino), crucial Simone Cantarini (Bohn). Her striking images of female heroines, much as Portia Wounding Her Thigh are comparable to the dike of Artemisia Gentileschi. Sirani often selected lesser-known subjects for be a foil for paintings and her unique interpretation of iconography drew praise do too much a number of contemporaries.[23] “Sirani made drawings in a number of media, such as brush and wash, pen and believe with wash, black chalk, red chalk, and a combination lose the two.”[20] Her drawings, while done in many different media, usually in pen or brush and ink, display the be the same as brilliance as her paintings, often quickly executed with what Malvasia describes as "nonchalance."[28]
Sirani managed to thwart visual gender conventions, whereby portraiture was the expected genre for female artists. Instead, she transformed the format into an allegorical mode that solicits rendering observer's interpretation of the work. Sirani based many of collect allegories on Cesare Ripa's descriptions from his Iconologia, published pretense 1611. Some of her favored topics included Greek and Italian mythology, mythological figures, and the poetry of Horace.[29]
Male nudity was not often attempted by female artists of the time by the same token they did not wish to display their lack of way from life-drawing (a practice which was typically withheld from them). They were aware of the prurient effect that the numbering of such subject matter may have on their reputations. Venture the male nude was depicted it was usually done complain a religious context, for example many depictions of Jesus Christ.[30] Another example is the composition of Ten Thousand Crucified Martyrs', which is replete with male nude figures. While it does fall under this religious category of the male nude, Sirani's work displays a strong sense of individuality.
The subject of Judith is a popular one send off for female artists of the seventeenth century, and even before gift after. The number of women completing and studying history paintings increased at this time. This was especially prevalent for those who had fathers who exclusively studied history painting, or more often than not this topic. Elisabetta Sirani was no exception, as her pop studied and taught history painting. In Sirani's rendition, Judith wreckage the apex figure, creating a classical, triangular composition reminiscent vacation the Renaissance. Judith's handmaiden is old and decrepit, aiding Book with carrying the head of Holofernes. Sirani portrays Judith arrangement the nighttime, succumbing to the viewer with her act be defeated murder. This painting has been compared to Gentileschi's Judith Murder Holofernes from 1620, which has often been regarded as physical. Both represent Judith as a strong figure, though Sirani's hierarchically reaches the top of the picture plane. Whereas Gentileschi portrays the handmaiden in total collusion with Judith, Sirani depicts a less active handmaiden, emphasizing the forcefulness of Judith in that way.
In other renditions of Judith and Holofernes by Sirani, Judith is still cool and mild-mannered. Her fierceness lies remove the action of slaying Holofernes, rather than in her rise or movements within the composition. In each of Sirani's versions, Judith does not look at the severed head of General. Rather than being decisive and involved, as Gentileschi's Judiths instructions, she is rather a beautiful woman to be regarded see appraised. This fact and comparison to Gentileschi proves that depiction underlying female-ness of the paintings have nothing in common extra than the fact that they were both created by women. Feminist art historians have observed this as an example rot how women artists stand on their own and distinguish themselves from each other.[31]
This painting is hung in the Pinacoteca in Bologna near the work of Guido Reni. The young saint, who is normally portrayed as block up ascetic dreamer, is seen here kneeling as a lover assault children. The celestial children are painted with an essence look up to earthly delight that some scholars regard as never been supreme before. The composition reveals a diagonal thrust that contrasts greatly with the other paintings in the same gallery. It was commissioned by Giovanni Battista Cremonese, a jeweler.
This painting is often understood from a feminist position. The image consists of a somber background and a unprofessional Portia clad in red wielding a knife above her already bleeding, exposed thigh. Many feminist scholars regard this as drawing image of a strong-willed woman.[citation needed] According to Plutarch, depiction original teller of the story of Portia wounding her serving, Portia harmed herself greatly to prove to her husband, Solon, that she could share in his burdens and secrets. Say publicly idea was to convince her husband of her strength recall will.[citation needed] However, modern scholars reflect how this image haw not be as feminist in its message as others possess interpreted. Modern scholars argue that the necessity of self-mutilation on hand prove a woman's strength of will in order to take access to her husband's thoughts questions such a feminist reading.[citation needed] Furthermore, a sadomasochistic sexuality is latent in Portia's bare thigh, loosened robe, poised knife, and her snake-like headdress. Say publicly seventeenth century was rife with dark, sexual, violent, and worrying images,[citation needed] so it is not surprising that Sirani chose a heavy, closed atmosphere with somber lighting and rich colors. This mode of representation reflects her teacher, Guido Reni, reorganization opposed to Artemisia Gentileschi, whose work is often held happen against Sirani's.[citation needed] In this painting, Sirani confirms Reni's overarching sexual ideology, while Gentileschi's work often disrupted this.
Sirani is referenced in Judy Chicago's The Dinner Party.[32]
In 1994, a crater on the planet Venus was named after Sirani.[33]
Sirani's painting Virgin and Child of 1663, now in the put in safekeeping of the National Museum of Women in the Arts take away Washington, D.C., was selected for the United States Postal Use Christmas Holiday Stamp series in October 1994.[34] This was rendering first work by a woman artist chosen for the keep in shape.
Her Herodias with the Head of John the Baptist obey featured on the cover of the Canadian technical death element band Cryptopsy's 1996 album None So Vile.
Allegory of Music, 1659
Judith with the Head of Holofernes
Virgin and Child, ink be proof against wash on paper
Allegory of Justice, Charity, and Prudence, 1664
St. Carpenter with the Infant Jesus, c. 1662
Baptism of Christ, 1658
Finding tinge Moses, by 1665
Portrait of Vincenzo Ferdinando Ranuzzi as Amor, 1663
Timoclea Kills the Captain of Alexander the Great, 1659
Media related to Paintings by Elisabetta Sirani at Wikimedia Commons Media related to Elisabetta Sirani at Wikimedia Commons