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Iconic Families of Artists concerning the Female Perspective
by Mihaela Manolache
In November 2017 BBC Arts opened an exhibition commemorating 100 years since Auguste Rodin’s death. A big part of the show underlined how Camille Claudel was not only a muse of Rodin but also a talented sculptor shadowed by the grand masters’ aura. Claudel’s particular case is not unique as throughout history women artists have been for a long time obscured in relationship to their male partners. The art world has been dominated by male artists for centuries and women, regardless of their talent, were considered anything but artists. Current research reveals that women have been interested in art as a profession since the late Renaissance. Names such as Lavinia Fontana (1552–1614) or Plautilla Nelli (1524–1588) are little known to the large public but of great interest in art history, with veritable contributions.
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In most cases, if the female artist was married to a notable male artist, she would have been perceived only as his beloved wife. Her passion for art and her creations were often ignored by the public and by her own husband. In recent history, some artists’…
