Sometimes, when I stumble upon different arguments for the incorrect usage of the word “feminism” in a thesis or leading books about feminism, foretelling the perspective of history, it upsets me for my unorthodox way of thinking. For instance, the women’s revolution for labor and wages was about equality and rights, which is usually blended with theories of feminism, but it was never that. There might be a few people who were against women’s rights, but at the same time, there were neutral people as well. So, generalizing by gender for an unfortunate event is absolutely ridiculous. Revisiting history through gender is an absurd idea. Take another instance: as you read about the Italian history of patronage of art and poetry for females, they enjoyed privileges irrespective of their gender. Sparrow’s Women Painters of the World represents a theory that Italians put more effort into learning for women because they cared more about their profession and that they lived longer than men. Furthermore, Italian painters took pride in depicting intelligent women in their paintings. As the text continues from the Renaissance, it reaches the Baroque period to tell about Artemisia Gentileschi, a prominent female painter whose talent enabled her to continue to be a proficient painter despite her tragic life events, through which her father continued to support her, but in the famous biography on the artist by Mary D. Garrard, the author contrasts, and it feels like her thoughts take a dominating force on the reader instead of giving a true vision of history. While I do not disregard the historian’s true purpose in informing us of the relevant events of Artemisia’s life, I feel concerned when history is presented with a biased viewpoint. Hence, I have decided to put all my efforts into covering the lives of painters through the resources of the older centuries to give you a broader and unbiased view of history. As part of this very effort, we are here to learn about the story of a famous female Neoclassicist painter, Angelica Kauffman, who was quite successful for her art, like Sirani and Artemisia Gentileschi, depicting History paintings on frescoes. In addition, her popularity was as high as her male counterparts, and she was one of the crucial painters of the time. So, let us start reading and inspiring ourselves with her life.
Angelica Kauffman | Fast Knowledge
Angelica Kauffman was an 18th-century History artist of Swiss origin and the Neoclassicist period who enjoyed immense success for painting portraits and historical themes. Her art showed a thorough technical control with the perfection of form, colors, and skills like perspective and chiaroscuro, which she learned by copying the art of Italian masters.
Artist Abstract: Angelica Kauffman.
Angelica Kauffman was one of the most successful women artists in the history of art, as she had established herself as a leading figure in the art world of the late eighteenth century. Her friend and poet George Keate published his Epistle to Angelica Kauffman, in which he states the inspiration of Kauffman and the mark of her achievement. From portraits to history paintings to etchings and engravings, she had a diversity of subjects and themes in her art, ranging from Classical and medieval history to the Renaissance and contemporary literature of England, France, Germany, and Italy. William Shaw Sparrow says,
“Her art is quite artificial in spirit, with a strong bias towards the sentimental; but it has for all that considerable charm and ability, qualities let us remember, that won the admiration of Reynolds and Goethe.”
| Name | Angelica Kauffman |
| Birth | 1741 |
| Died | 1807 |
| Nationality | Swiss |
| Period | Neoclassicism |
| Genre | Historical Painting |
Exploring the Account of the Artist’s Life.
The Early Life of Angelica Kauffman.
Born in Coire, the capital of Grisons, Switzerland, in 1741, Angelica Kauffman studied at a British school in her early days. As a child prodigy, she received her art training from her father, Johann Joseph Kauffmann, who was also a provincial painter in Bregenz, and under his guidance, she dealt with several portrait commissions. However, as she progressed in her teens, she still had to choose between art and music, given how her mother, Cleophea Lutz, was a talented singer. De Rossi, the biographer of Angelica Kauffman, mentioned that to eradicate the dilemma of choosing the right career path, she consulted a local priest with her father. He advised her that music may present a chance of easier and early success, but it will be more lucrative; at the same time, the life of a painter would not bring initial success, but it is an arduous and intellectual profession. Hence, Kauffman decided to be a painter.
In her later years, during the 1790s, Angelica memorialized the incident of choosing between a career in art and music through a self-portrait having two figures of herself, one portraying the art of painting and the other depicting the art of music. Such personifications have been the standard means of allegory since the Renaissance. These images are known as Iconologia and link themselves to the time of antiquity through poses, gestures, and dresses. Furthermore, Rossi suggested that her composition was also based on a well-known story, The Choice or Judgment of Hercules, in which Hercules confronts the moral choice between pleasure, represented by a beautiful and sensuous reclining woman, and virtue, personified by a powerful and armed woman pointing the way to glory. In her version of the story, she substituted Hercules’ sensual pleasure through music while depicting herself with a heroic posture for the dignity of the arts. You must further note that, unlike other female painters like Lavinia Fontana, Sofonisba, and Robusti, she does not portray herself playing music, as she considered art a proper aristocratic feminine accomplishment, expressing decorum. Hence, Kauffman’s purposeful rejection of music makes her different from other women artists.
Kauffman’s Movement in Italy.
After choosing art over music, Angelica Kauffman traveled to Italy with her father, given that the region was the hub of artisans and located at the center of Europe. During that time, she spent hours in the galleries of Milan copying the paintings of Old Masters, a privilege and honor for any artist. Later, the father-daughter duo visited additional regions of southern Europe to broaden Kauffman’s knowledge of the Renaissance and perfect her technical skills. She studied the works of Correggio in Parma and Annibale Carracci in Bologna and reproduced their works as part of her training. In 1762, she arrived in Florence and obtained permission to copy the master paintings of the Uffizi in a separate room and was then accepted as a member of Florence’s prestigious Accademia del Disegno in the same year. Following her travels, she explored Rome in 1763 and Naples after fulfilling commissions to copy the paintings in the Royal Collection of Capodimonte. During this period, she acquired the skills of Neoclassical art.
Angelica Kauffman’s paintings during this period mainly demonstrated her awareness and involvement in antiquity and Neoclassicism. In Naples, she painted portraits for Englishmen, such as David Garrick, Anglo-American Dr. John Morgan of Philadelphia, Devon, etc., who later became her patrons.
One of the noteworthy facts is that her sketchbook included numerous portraits of studies from the antiques to Titian’s Pesaro Madonna in Venice and to Rembrandt’s self-portrait.
Looking at the First Historical Paintings of the Artist.
During Angelica Kauffman’s stay in Italy, she received various commissions, ranging from portraits to religious subjects. However, her studies and practice towards antique art shaped her career as a history painter, a genre that very few women practiced.
One of the earliest known Angelica Kauffman paintings of the history genre is Ariadne Abandoned by Theseus, Discovered by Bacchus, signed and dated in 1764. The artist portrayed the god of wine, the muscular man wearing a leopard skin, a thyrsus, and a crown of vine leaves. The subject and the representation can be traced back to the period of antiquity. In the painting, he looks down at a weeping maiden reclining in an erotic pose, similar to that of the Venetian Renaissance, draped in a sheer white fabric while lounging on a red blanket, all of which adds a subtle contrast to the composition.
One of the more famous history paintings by Angelica Kauffman was Bacchus Discovering the Abandoned Ariadne, a commission by John Byng, depicting scenes of Greek and Roman history. The theme of the artwork was the story of Coriolanus, where the Roman hero was banished by his own people, and in anger, he joined their enemies to attack Rome.
In another scene of Coriolanus Entreated by His Mother, Veturia, and his wife, Volumnia, both women are accompanied by Coriolanus’s children and stand before him in his camp to stop the war against his native land. Veturia is depicted with an outstretched arm, appearing to speak as Coriolanus steps forward to embrace her. The pose symbolizes peace and family unity, ultimately convincing him to withdraw his troops.
History paintings were the most strenuous and demanding genre, requiring extensive knowledge of literature and history, skills in drawing the human figure, perspective, and technical understanding of frescoes or canvas. Hence, there were very few women painters who were proficient as history painters, and Angelica Kauffman was one among them. Further, anatomy was a leading challenge for women, as they were not allowed to draw nude figures of the opposite sex, and so they grasped knowledge through studying sculpture and painting.
In Italy, as we know, Kauffman studied the works of most old masters and acquainted herself with antique sculpture and architecture. Through this, she developed her skills of perspective, chiaroscuro, color, proportion, and elegance of form. Further, to draw suitable and noble subjects, she read the history and poetry of various languages. After she began her journey to London from Italy, she was thoroughly prepared to be a painter of history and portraits.
Arrival in England and Her Partners.
Angelica Kauffman succeeded as an artist in Britain due to her ability to produce a variety of artworks. She was an excellent portraitist, a genre that Britishers demanded most. Her decorative, mythological, and allegorical scenes were suitable for reproduction on painted furniture, ceramics, and textiles. During this period, she married twice, and her first marriage was nearly a disastrous scandal. From the biographies in German and English, she had a physical charm and feminine wile. These texts also stressed and speculated on the various supposed relationships with men, including engagement with Nathaniel Dance in Italy, a suspected marriage proposal from Reynolds, and her seduction by Jean-Paul Marat.
Speaking of marriage, she was first tricked by Count Frederic de Horn into remaining in England in 1767. However, the illegal union soon dissolved, and her father paid him off. Despite her disastrous and illegal marriage, she maintained freedom of work and heavy aspirations towards her profession. At 40, Angelica Kauffman married again to Antonio Zucchi, who was a great partner to her.
During her time in England, she enjoyed success, privileges, and notable earnings.
After a few years, she went back to her native land, fulfilling her father’s wish. Now that you know a bit about her life, let us move towards learning about her artworks in detail.
Briefly Analyzing Angelica Kauffman Paintings.
1. The Portrait of Theresa Parker.
Reynolds painted a large portrait of Theresa Parker in 1773 for the Grand Salon exhibition, with the intention of pairing it with that of her ancestor. At this same time, Kauffman also made a portrait for her close friend Lady Anne Pelham. There is an entry in her account book for 29 May 1773, which indicates the payment to Miss Angelica for a portrait given to Lady Pelham. And this portrait is none other than artwork, the Portrait of Theresa Parker.
Coming to the painting, Angelica treated the figure in a way that was intended for a particular recipient. Theresa is wearing a gauzy white embroidered garment suggesting an informal and timeless quality. The dress belongs to the category of pseudo-Turkish, which Kauffman frequently included in her paintings for female sitters in the mid-1770s. The subject gazes thoughtfully at an ideal antique-style bust of a woman, which the artist added from her own drawing made several years ago during her trip to Italy. Upon the pedestal are carved the Three Graces, holding arms entwined, which symbolize the reciprocity of true friendship and beauty, and the evergreen wreath Myrtle Theresa clasps represents constancy. Angelica used this symbolism as the bond of friendship. The overall appearance of the subject, with the carvings and relief features in the background, is astonishing.
2. Penelope Invoking Minerva’s Aid for the Safe Return of Telemachus.
The painting is a typical Kauffman-style composition from the mid-1770s. Unlike previous Baroque paintings, which had a darker and heavier Baroque effect, this style represents a more developed, lighter, fluid, and delicate treatment of figures and backgrounds. Throughout this composition, Penelope graciously raises one arm towards the goddess statue atop a pedestal while raising the other in opposition. Despite being described as being a portrait of Francis Anne Hoare as Penelope, the figure’s idealized features do not resemble those in Kauffman’s known portrait of Francis Hoare at Stourhead, which depicts her with a bust of Clio. At the very least, Francis Hoare wished to be considered a serious-scholarly woman, perhaps because she had a particular interest in history.
The story behind the painting is that Penelope, who is accompanied by her attendants, invokes the aid of Minerva or Athene (represented by a statue standing on a round plinth). Minerva, disguised as Telemachus’ old guardian Mentor, set out to find Ulysses after he failed to return home after the Trojan Wars, but he too got waylaid, and his mother is praying for his return.
The gracious poses of the subjects, the accustomed long dresses with shine and embroidery, soulful expressions, and historical carvings in the background are a few noteworthy points of the composition that make it stand out.
3. Vergil Writing His Own Epitaph at Brundisium(1), Pliny the Younger, With His Mother at Misenum(2), And Cornelia, the Mother of the Gracchi, Pointing To Her Children as Her Treasures(3).
These three noteworthy paintings were a group for George Bowles of the Royal Academy in 1786, so I am explaining all of these in a single point. The scenes are moralizing scenes from Roman history associated with Naples. In the last painting, the subject is of particular interest because Angelica Kauffman repeated it in a version for Prince Poniatowsky, nephew of the King of Poland, and for Queen Caroline of Naples—for it represents a famous Roman matron who exemplified femininity by raising her two sons. The seated woman shows off her jewelry with thoughtless pride in contrast with Cornelia’s modest gesture to her sons. As Kauffman places Cornelia and her young daughter between the two women, she heightens the moral issue. While clutching her mother’s hands, the little girl admires the jewelry longingly; she is not yet mature enough to make an informed decision. While Cornelia devotes herself to her sons, Pliny remains devoted to his mother, even during Vesuvisus’ devasting eruption.
All these paintings represent a simple, almost severe austerity, making them the most classic paintings of Kauffman’s career. The use of shallow space, warm colors, and simple figure arrangements reflects the knowledge of Pompeiian painting. All the figures are remarkable monuments of stoic Neoclassicism. Among all these paintings, the majestic poses with a dramatic appeal to the background and exceptional draping of clothes are similar.
4. Ariadne Abandoned by Theseus.
The story behind the painting rotates in the mythological scene of Greece when Ariadne was abandoned by her beloved one. Theseus, who went to Crete on a mission to kill the Minotaur, the father of Ariadne, who gave sacrifices to stop a curse, was seen by Ariadne, and she fell in love with him. When she approached this hero’s help in exchange for marrying her and getting off the island, which for her was a prison, Theseus could not refuse. But as Theseus finished the mission of killing the Minotaur and fled the island with her, he saw Ariadne fall asleep on his ferry. He decided to sail again and abandon her. Angelica painted the misery of the separation of Ariadne’s beloved through treachery.
The painting focuses on the reclining miserable lady with the jewel box on one side and a sandal on the other. One of the crucial things is that Angelica always painted the sentimental and grief-stricken characters in her history paintings, as she mastered showing figures in erotic poses. Hence, this painting becomes a crucial work of hers, showing Adriane with such timeless beauty, yet in miserable and horrible grief.
5. Zeuxis Selecting Models for His Painting of Helen of Troy.
The painting portrays the story of Zeuxis, who wanted to portray the world’s most beautiful woman, Helen of Troy. In the urge of this, he combined the best features of five other models. Zeuxis, the artist, is busy in the act of anatomical study as he inspects one of the models, and the other three prepare for the master’s gaze. It is the fifth model, having few features of Kauffman, who steps a way forward towards the canvas, picks up Zeuxis’ brush, and is about to start painting. Angelica represented the male figure with curly hairs, smooth contours, and draped limbs, which also shows her lack of anatomical study of men. However, they look like the Roman relief sculptures of beautiful young men, the Antinous in the Albani Collection. The women models are unlike other Angelica Kauffman paintings. The use of bare breasts to show femininity, long Turkish dresses, erotic and majestic poses, and sensible expressions are the typical components of her figures here.
Final Words.
Angelica Kauffman was one of the very few history painters working in England and an inspiration for the native artists to take up this genre of art. With numerous portraits in her lifetime and history paintings, she knew what type of art could impress her clients. She always maintained her accustomed elegance and classical taste, from selecting the stories she wanted to display to portraying the figures in her best way.
Resources.
- Featured Image: The Sorrow of Telemachus by Angelica Kauffman; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
- Miss Angel: The Art and World of Angelica Kauffman by Angelica Goodden.
- ANGELICA. The Portrait of an Eighteenth-Century Artist by Adeline Hartcup.
- Angelica Kauffmann, R.A: Her Life and Her Works by Lady Victoria Manners and Dr. G.C. Williamson.
Frequently Asked Questions.
Angelica Kauffman was a Swiss-born Neoclassicist painter who mastered the history art genre. Remembered as an excellent portraitist, she was a member of Florence’s prestigious Accademia del Disegno and a crucial painter of the 18th century, especially in England.
Angelica Kauffmann was a Neoclassicist who excelled in the History painting genre and found great success as a portraitist.
Angelica Kauffman was born in Coire, the capital of Grisons, in Switzerland. However, the artist traveled to Italy, Florence, and Naples to get acquainted with art and spent approximately 15 years in England, where she gained success as a portraitist. Later she settled in her homeland to fulfill her father’s wish during his last years.
Angelica Kauffman appeared to have been inspired by the old masters of the Renaissance and Baroque periods, for which the artist spent her time copying and learning from their artworks.
Angelica Kauffman, often referred to as the Queen of Neoclassicism, brought back antiquity to the art by getting inspired and learning from the paintings of the Renaissance and Baroque periods. She was the first female member of the Royal Academy and a member of Florence’s prestigious Accademia del Disegno. Additionally, she was among the few female painters who took commissions for frescoes and history art, making her immensely successful during the 18th century.
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