It's by anonymous in 1402, ink and color on parchment, and titled Marcia Painting Her Self-Portrait! I love the image for many reasons, most importantly because it shows a woman artist in the act of creating a self-portrait; women were, until very recently, considered lesser artists, allowed in the male fields of art and creation only on tolerance.
Also, this image comes from the end of the Middle-Ages, a period when religious fanaticism was at its heyday, and viewed women as the gates of hell, responsible for man's fall from heaven (religious fanatics forget the minor detail that without women the so-called "mankind" would die out in 100 years maximum).
Women artists existed even during those tough times. Also, he female knowledge of herbs and healing survived, though millions of women were burnt at the stake as witches. Christine de Pisani, the Medieval author, even composed works to answer condemnation of the female nature and sexual identity contained in the Roman de la Rose, mankind's great epic misogynistic poem about courtly love.
Art, love and power belong to both men and women, not only to one of them. Humankind, like beauty, is multiple and diverse. Enjoy a beautiful evening tonight! xxx
No comments:
Post a Comment