"The Other Renaissance"

Thoughts on the chapter "The Other Renaissance"

1. What accomplishments by St. Catherine paved the way for female acceptance in the educated Bologna and eventually the University of Bologna?
Her reputation as an Abbess and as a painter earned her admiration and respect among her Convent and the Bolognese people. She possessed ecclesiastical authority and was a patron for painters. In addition to her work in the Convent and as a painter, her cult was authorized by the Pope officially, which continued her renown through the hearts of the women in Bologna. Her cult aided to the support of educating women.
2. Why did Diana Mantuana (Scultori) need to receive the papal privilege to protect her rights to produce her images?
It was uncommon at the time for women to be permitted to produce art under her own name. When she moved to Rome, she was able to obtain the privileges she required. She could bring her works from Mantua to Rome and sign and sell them under her own name. This allowed her to be recognized in court and maintain popularity with her work.
3. Why did Lavinia Fontana’s stop painting commissioned work and continued in portraiture?
The painting, Martyrdom of St. Stephen, which was destroyed by fire in the 1800s, was considered a failure by the Roman people. A print still exists, expressing the original qualities of the painting. Without her intended color and lighting, it is difficult to imagine this painting if it still existed. However, the essential qualities of the the paintings remain in the engraving. Nevertheless, she was distraught and returned to the work of portraiture thereafter.
4. Was Properzia de’Rossi persecuted because of her work specifically or because she was a woman?
There were few female Renaissance artists and even fewer female sculptors, of marble in particular. Though she portrayed an amazing command of the human figure and of the the materials she used, a jealous painter persecuted her, probably claiming that her works “overstepped the bounds of femininity”. After her marble sculptures didn’t earn enough money, she returned to copper sculpture.
5. As a severe minority in Italian art, how much did Elisabetta Sirani’s art seek to bring equality to a woman’s position?
The painting featured in the article Portia Wounding her Thigh is an example of her showing the desire of a women seeking political favor by producing an act that many men wouldn’t themselves inflict. Portia stabs herself in the thigh. The article states that this “proves her virtuous and worthy of political trust by separating her from the rest of her sex.”
6. Did Artimesia Gentileschi’s paintings seek vengeance against men or did she seek to illustrate the plight of women facing sexual violence in a male-dominated society?
In many ways, I believe that she did both. The man who raped her was not penalized for what he had done and even stole a large Judith painting. Comparing herself to Judith in the tale of Judith beheading Holofernes, she evokes this sensation that justice is being done, a justice she desperately desired. Susanna and the Elders is a painting which illustrates a woman being falsely accused of attempting to seduce these Elders. The Elders are pulled aside and asked independently their versions of what occurred. Since their accounts were not only false but contradictory, Susanna was freed and the Elders were executed.

Chapter 3 "The Other Renaissance" pp. 87-113. (Reading material for Art History II. Book title unknown).