Until very recently, the idea that women have always made art was rarely cited as a possibility. Yet they have, and of course continue to do so, often against tremendous odds and restrictions, from laws to religion and convention, the pressures of family and public disapproval, writes Jennifer Higgie in her illuminating new study dissecting why women have been largely shut out of art history (The Mirror and the Palette: Rebellion, Revolution and Resilience: 500 Years of Women’s Self-Portraits
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Higgie s clever thesis looks at self-portraits as a springboard, giving fresh insights into brilliant artists such as Frida Kahlo, Loïs Mailou Jones, Amrita Sher-Gil, Suzanne Valadon, Gwen John, Artemisia Gentileschi and Paula Modersohn-Becker. The extract below is from the chapter “Easel”, which focuses on the Italian artist Sofonisba Anguissola (around 1532-1625), a prolific self-portraitist and, during her lifetime, one of the most famous artists in Europe. Higgie descr