Read on Twitter
Day 1 of #MuseumBuddy continued! Now thinking about how art-making synthesises the broader cultural context. So much is packed into surfaces! One of my most fave paintingsis Vermeer's Lacemaker (1669-70) @MuseeLouvre. The act of making is an intense drama of absorption. 1/14
The lacemaker's handling of the delicate lines of thread reminds me of the intricate mark-making used in printmaking. 2/14
From the late Middle Ages, men pushed women to the margins of the textile guild. Women’s life became more focused on the domestic sphere. Lacemaking & textiles were considered proper women's labour. It was considered a virtuous act - idle hands kept busy. 3/14
The presence of lace in painting, like Lavinia Fontana's self-portrait (1557), carries a lot of cultural weight. Fontana would have been trained in textiles in addition to painting. In this detail we can see how she translated the lace into painting, synthesising knowledge. 4/14
Regardless of their trade 16th c women were trained in textile work. Is it possible that this training influenced the method of women artists who painted, drew, engraved? Yes! 5/14
This exquisite detail from Catharina van Hemessen’s 1551 portrait of a woman shows her using the same types of marks used to construct lace. @NationalGallery #materialmondays 6/14
A detail from Geertruydt Roghman’s engraving ‘Two Women Sewing’ @rijksmuseum shows a similar variety of marks to the ones in this 18th c. sampler by Margaretha Helm @V_and_A (@IsbellaRosner found for me!) A sampler is where an artist gives an example of needlework ability. 7/14
In the 16th and 17th century a woman’s needlework virtuosity was seen as the pinnacle of female artistic talent; sewing and designing textile was a deeply respected art practice. For example, this German Sampler from 1737 in the collection @cooperhewitt 8/14
Although women artists have been marginalised by history, many were highly valued and respected by their contemporaries. For example, Isabella Parasole (c.1575-c.1625), the Italian printmaker and designer who was the first woman to be given credit for her textile patterns. 9/14
She was a trained draftsperson and engraver before designing lace patterns. Her first pattern book was Studio delle Virtuose Dame (Study of Virtuous Ladies), 1597. The title of her book shows how much textile work was equated with virtue and proper behaviour. 10/14
Pattern books like this are rare because they were used, laid down and sewn through. Artworks like this were actively used, touched and experienced. @metmuseum has some of Parasole's books fully intact.
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/355099 11/14
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/355099 11/14
Unlike male pattern book makers, Parasole, trained in textile and print understood how her prints would translate into lace, making her the most respected lace designer of her time. 12/14
This stunning portrait of a woman (c.1560) by Sofonisba Anguissola (via Musée Condé) shows us the end result of a series of acts of labour by women artists: the designer/engraver, the lacemaker & the painter. 13/14
Working across these different, linear media women printmakers have a unique perspective on printmaking’s potential to inform other textiles. That’s what we will cover in tomorrow’s #museumbuddy! /14 END
