For my second blog post for Jeff’s 131 Survey & Principles of illustration class, I chose Rosalba Carriera as my artist to research more about. I decided yet again to learn more about a female artist, settling for Carriera due to her painting “Self-portrait as Winter”. When I was looking up which artist to choose, I saw this portrait accredited to Carriera and was taken aback. Never had I seen an elderly lady portrayed in a painting with such an air of elegance, intelligence, and power.
Carriera was a Venetian painter, born January 12th, 1673. An artist from the Roccoco period, she is still considered as one of the most influential female painters ever. Despite this, there is no record that she ever received any professional training, nor that she was ever someone’s apprentice. (this is debated, with certain art historians believing she was taught by Guiseppe Diamantini)
She was so well known due to her skill with pastels. Dubbed “the queen of pastels” by many, she excelled in this medium while many painters were focused on using oil paints. Her pieces are soft and light, with figures often almost dissolving into the backgrounds they stand in front of. But the intense eye contact with the viewer grounds them, creating a tether to our realm.
Her miniature paintings were mounted onto pieces of ivory, which became a trademark of hers. While she was still alive, these were so popular people started making their replicates. These were “travel-sized” pieces, that sold well to the “tourists” passing through Venice. This is proof that Carriera was not only an artistic genius but also an entrepreneur, who knew how to sell her work and herself to the public eye.
Sources:
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Comments
Sophia,
Solid post on Carriera here! Your passion for the artist shines through. You have great information combined with personal thoughts and insights to the artist. You’ve obviously made a connection with her work. Only thing is you were to post on an artist I did not cover in my lecture and I did cover her work. That aside this is still a good piece of writing so I’ll overlook it this time. Just remember next time to blog on someone I don’t cover. Anyhow I’m giving you a 2/2 on your first two posts. Well Done!
Jeff