Women At The Forefront Of The Baroque Era

There were just as many Baroque women artists as there were during the Renaissance period. Most Baroque female artists came from artist families, who were trained in their father’s workshops and worked along side their fathers on commissioned pieces.

Women artist of this period changed the way women were depicted in art. Female artists during the Baroque era were not permitted to train form nude models because all nude models were male, but they were very familiar with the female body. Therefore, they created images of women as conscious beings rather than detached muses.

Still Life emerged as an important genre during the Baroque era and women were at the forefront of this painting trend. Since women could not train from nude models, Still Life was particularly suited to them because they could easily access the materials for still life.

The high point of painting during this era was history painting, particularly large-scale compositions with groups of figures depicting historical or mythical situations. To create such paintings, artists studied casts of antique sculptures and drew from male nudes. Women were limited or had no access to academic learning and as such, there are no large-scale history paintings by women from this period.

Some women made their way, as artists through other genres by creating portraits and other women were innovative in their ability to compensate for their lack of training, by painting allegorical scenes they were able to sell.

Women artists of the late 18^th century had made important strides forward by being accepted into academies and being permitted to showcase their work in exhibitions. Once again, women were being accepted as academic students.

To see a Baroque Art Print Poster click on image:

Baroque I by Ahava 24"x24" Art Print Poster