One of the famous female artists of the 18th century was Angelica Kaufmann, and her importance in the field is conditional upon the particular role of gender for people of the time. Women were unlikely to achieve success comparable to that of men; nevertheless, this person is an exception to the rule. Throughout her life, Kauffman managed to not only become a well-known portraitist but also challenge the existing stereotypes.
The career of Angelica Kauffman was initially predetermined by her background. Being born to a family of a father, who was an artist, and a mother, who was reported to have similar interests on October 30, 1741, in Switzerland, her interest in painting was encouraged (Higgie, 2021). Her training started at home and continued in the Accademia di Belle Arti di Firenze (“Angelica Kauffman – Biography and legacy,” 2019). The main works were those depicting different people, including “novelists, playwrights, poets, actors, statesmen, philosophers, and royalty,” and they belonged to Neoclassicism (“Angelica Kauffman – Biography and legacy,” 2019). The relation to this movement is apparent due to Kauffman’s interest in history (Higgie, 2021). In turn, gender affected her career since it attracted greater attention to this artist and put her at the center of societal scandals due to some relationships with men (Greenberger, 2020). Therefore, the success of this person was accompanied by struggles related to inequality.
To summarize, the life and works of Angelica Kauffman serve as evidence of her talent, whereas being a female artist at the time was not easy. Hence, her career path was determined by prejudice and misunderstanding regardless of public recognition. From this perspective, it can be concluded that women in the field are not equally represented because their male counterparts had a more privileged position.
References
Angelica Kauffman – Biography and legacy.(2019). The Art Story. Web.
Greenberger, A. (2020). Who was Angelica Kauffman, and why was she important? Art News. Web.
Higgie, J. (2021). Angelica Kauffmann: the Female trailblazer of Neoclassicism.Art UK. Web.