Women of the Brush: 4 Female Mannerist and Baroque Painters

What is the course about?
This session examines four remarkable women active during the Mannerist and Baroque periods—Lavinia Fontana, Josefa de Óbidos, Elisabetta Sirani and Artemisia Gentileschi—each of whom developed successful artistic careers despite the restrictions placed on women in early modern Europe. Working across Italy and Portugal, these painters established distinct visual languages, negotiated the expectations of patrons, and shaped artistic traditions that extended well beyond their lifetimes.
 
Lavinia Fontana built a pioneering professional career in Bologna and Rome, producing refined portraits and religious works that reveal her command of Mannerist elegance and her ability to engage with elite circles.
Josefa de Óbidos, active in Portugal, brought an unusual combination of devotional Baroque intensity, still-life precision and poetic sensitivity to her compositions, creating a body of work admired for its emotional warmth and luminous surfaces.
Elisabetta Sirani, known for her rapid yet assured brushwork, transformed the artistic landscape of 17th-century Bologna by establishing a studio that trained other women and by experimenting boldly with narrative subjects.
Artemisia Gentileschi developed a dramatic visual language grounded in vivid storytelling and complex female protagonists, presenting narratives that emphasise strength, intelligence and emotional depth.
 
The session considers how these artists constructed professional identities, how they represented women in their work, and how recent scholarship has re-evaluated their contributions. While aspects of their biographies—including the gendered constraints and, in Artemisia’s case, experiences of violence—will be acknowledged, the discussion will focus primarily on artistic achievement, self-fashioning and creative innovation.
 
Content guidance: The session includes references to gender-based discrimination and, in Artemisia Gentileschi’s case, sexual violence.

When is the session?
Dec. 10th from 6-8pm (90min recorded lecture + unrecorded zoom discussion).
 
What will we cover?
· The historical contexts that enabled and limited women’s artistic practice in 16th–17th-century Europe
· Lavinia Fontana’s Mannerism, portraiture and negotiation of courtly patronage
· Josefa de Óbidos’s devotional imagery, still-life symbolism and distinctive Portuguese Baroque aesthetics
· Elisabetta Sirani’s virtuosity, workshop leadership and reinterpretation of classical and biblical subjects
· Artemisia Gentileschi’s narrative power, dynamic compositions and portrayals of resilient female protagonists
· The role of self-representation, authorship and artistic agency across their careers
· How modern scholarship reassesses these artists beyond biographical stereotypes
 
What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...
· Identify the stylistic qualities and artistic ambitions of Fontana, Óbidos, Sirani and Gentileschi
· Explain how these artists constructed public identities in a male-dominated cultural environment
· Discuss how their representations of women engage with themes of agency, devotion, intellect and creativity
· Situate their work within broader European Mannerist and Baroque traditions
 
What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?
This course is suitable for all levels. 
You should be able to follow simple written and verbal instructions, demonstrations, and you will be invited to take part in group discussions.
Recommended for participants aged 16 and over, as the session includes references to gender-based discrimination and, in the case of Artemisia Gentileschi, sexual violence.
 
How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?
The course will be taught online through live slide presentations, collective visual analysis and guided discussion.
Please note: sessions are live and recorded, being available for 48h so that you may watch them again. The zoom sessions are NOT recorded, for reasons related to data protection
 
Is there anything else I need?
You may wish to bring a notebook for taking notes.