Post 4 17th and 18th Century Chapter 4&5 (lina)

Chapter 4

 Women in the North appear to have enjoyed greater freedom and mobility in the professions than their contemporaries in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.”

This highlights how geography shaped women’s opportunities, suggesting that cultural context could open or close doors for women in the arts.

"Like Anguissola in Italy, the two best-known northern women painters of the sixteenth century were supported by royal families: Caterina van Hemessen as painter to Mary of Hungary, the sister of Charles V of Spain.”

Patronage by royal families was crucial, showing that women often needed powerful connections to gain visibility and security in their artistic careers.

Chapter 5

“Levina Teerlinc, who was invited to England by Henry VIII and retained as court painter by his three successors—Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth I—was one of a number of Flemish women artists, among them Katherine Maynors, Alice Carmellion, Ann Smiter, and the Hornebout family, who were active in England in the production of miniatures, then extremely popular as articles of dress.”

This shows how women contributed to highly valued art forms like miniatures, which also connected directly to fashion and personal identity.

 “Strong has attributed the first frontal majestic images of the Queen, the image on the Great Seal and numerous documents, to drawings by Teerlinc and the origins of the representation of Elizabeth Virgo must be sought in her images.”

Teerlinc’s role in shaping Elizabeth I’s iconography demonstrates the political power of women artists in constructing royal image and authority.

This work shows two women engaged in a quiet act of exchange within a domestic setting. The everyday subject matter reflects Dutch 17th-century interest in still-life and interior scenes, while also suggesting themes of commerce, hospitality, and women’s roles in daily life.

Guerrilla Girls Bedside Companion to western art 

"You’re seeing less than half the picture without the vision of women artists and artists of color.”

This critique points to the long history of exclusion in art history, reminding us that the canon is incomplete and distorted without diverse contributions.