Cathy's Art Diary

Interesting online lecture from ARTscapades on the 16th century artist, Lavinia Fontana. The curator of the current exhibition on the artist at the National Gallery Ireland, Aoife Brady, explained how the show had been inspired by the conservation of their own picture “Visit of the Queen of Sheba to King Solomon” from 1599. She also took us though a long list of firsts for Fontana from being the first female professional artists to work outside a convent or court to being the fist female artist to paint female nudes. She then led us through the five rooms of the show explaining the themes and introducing us to some of the main paintings that had been used.   I had been lucky enough to go to the show when I was in Dublin recently and this talk was a lovely reminder of what I had seen and a good way to learn a bit more about the artist.

Delightful exhibition at the National Gallery of Ireland looking at the 16th century artist Lavinia Fontana. I’d read about this exhibition in the press but didn’t think I’d get to it but was delighted to find it would just have opened when I was in Dublin. I’d learnt about Fontana in various lectures but hadn’t seen much of her work in the flesh. The show was clearly set out in themed rooms which also worked chronologically. Her early work was portraits of men, mainly scholars, then she moved on the paint the elite ladies of Bologna. I loved the latter portraits whose clothing she painted beautifully. I wasn’t as convinced by her mythological, allegorical and religious work. For me they worked best when they included portraits. It was an exhibition of firsts. She was the first woman to paint professionally outside of a convent or court, the first woman from whom we have attributed drawings, first woman to have a workshop under her and first woman to paint female nudes. I’m ...