Linda Nochlin famously asked in her seminal feminist critique of art history, "Why have there been no great women artists?" In a pragmatic considerations, she points to woman's lack of access to training and to institutions of patronage. She also points to the study of art history for marginalizing the role of women in the arts. Therefore, this gallery seeks to explore some of the great images of women in the Early Modern period, both as artists and subjects. (Nicole Conti)
Judith Cutting Off the Head of Holofernes, Trophime Bigot, ca. 1640 (Baroque), From the collection of: The Walters Art Museum
Judith is considered a female heroine of the Bible. She snuck into the tent of Holofernes, the Assyrian general, right before he was about to lay siege to Babylonia. She seduced him with her body and plied him with wine. Bigot's rendering of this scene valorizes Judith as the actor within the scene. Bigot was a follower of Caravaggio and you can see the elements of his work here.
The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist, Giovanni di Paolo (Italian, about 1399–1482), 1455/60, From the collection of: The Art Institute of Chicago
Another story of a strong woman is the story of Salome, the woman who cut off the head of John the Baptist for King Herod. In this version of the story, John the Baptist's severed neck bleeds dramatically within a contemporary Italian landscape. This painting is most reminiscent of Italian Renaissance paintings like Masaccio's Tribute Money because it depicts the scene within a contemporary landscape using linear perspective.
Saint Ursula was a virgin saint blah blah blah and this image depicts the power of women in religious contexts. While Judith acts in a masculine way, Ursula uses her feminity for power. The most similar we have is blah.
Susanna and the Elders, Artemisia Gentileschi, 1649/1649, From the collection of: Moravian Gallery in Brno
The Death of Orpheus, figures by John Hamilton Mortimer, 1740–1779, British, Landscape by Thomas Jones, 1742–1803, British, active in Italy (1776–83), ca. 1770, From the collection of: Yale Center for British Art
Credits: All media
This user gallery has been created by an independent third party and may not represent the views of the institutions whose collections include the featured works or of Google Arts & Culture.
