Brilliant women : C18th bluestockings
Nice small exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery focusing on the original groups of intellectual women known as bluestockings looking at how they used portraits to advance their work and reputations.
In three sections the first looks at the women, their relationships and how they met and worked. The second looks at how these women were used to represent the muses and the final one at their politics.
I loved Richard Samuels “The living muses of Great Britain” which includes a portrait of Angelica Kauffman, one of the female founders of the Royal Academy who I am increasingly finding turning up in shows and in my reading. Most astonishing is that 8 of the nine women earnt their own livings from their work. There was also a good representation of female artist including Angelica herself, Mary Moser, Frances Reynolds (Sir Joshua’s sister) and Elizabeth Vigee-leBrun.
However most moving of all was that in the gallery leading to the exhibition is the wonderful joint portrait of the journalists on the Guardian’s women’s page in the 70s and 80s by Sarah Raphael. Surely the bluestockings true successors.
Reviews
Daily Telegraph
Times
Evening Standard
In three sections the first looks at the women, their relationships and how they met and worked. The second looks at how these women were used to represent the muses and the final one at their politics.
I loved Richard Samuels “The living muses of Great Britain” which includes a portrait of Angelica Kauffman, one of the female founders of the Royal Academy who I am increasingly finding turning up in shows and in my reading. Most astonishing is that 8 of the nine women earnt their own livings from their work. There was also a good representation of female artist including Angelica herself, Mary Moser, Frances Reynolds (Sir Joshua’s sister) and Elizabeth Vigee-leBrun.
However most moving of all was that in the gallery leading to the exhibition is the wonderful joint portrait of the journalists on the Guardian’s women’s page in the 70s and 80s by Sarah Raphael. Surely the bluestockings true successors.
Reviews
Daily Telegraph
Times
Evening Standard
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