The 'Hidden Half': Women of the Italian Renaissance

The Renaissance brought cultural, artistic, political and economic rebirth to Europe following the Middle Ages and the fall of the Roman Empire. Out of the darkness emerged a new vision of civilisation that was portrayed on canvas, in fresco, and sculpture throughout Italy. Despite this incredible progress, it was also a period of entrenched gender inequality.

Women were still expected to confine themselves to domestic duties and social roles, with little room for creative expression or professional pursuits. In family records, girls and women were classified as bocche (mouths) to be fed – an expense.

Women were expected to enter marriage to expand the social and political connections of their families. Failing that, the only respectable alternative was entry into the convent.

Against the flow of this inequality, two remarkable artists from the Renaissance era are finally gaining recognition: Artemisia Gentileschi and Plautilla Nelli.

Artemisia Gentileschi was a painter who defied social norms by becoming an apprentice to her artist father in 17th-century Rome. She displayed a unique talent for exploring dimension and drama through her use of colour and form.

Her artistic career became partly defined by a traumatic event. Her teacher, Agostino Tassi, assaulted her, and the meticulous documentation of the infamous trial still survives today. Although he was found guilty, Tassi's punishment was never enforced.

Gentileschi's female perspective on subjects traditionally rendered by men offered a new and distinct interpretation of the familiar. Her famous Judith Beheading Holofernes painting is the most notable example.

Plautilla Nelli was the first known female artist of Florence, a self-taught artist who joined the Dominican Santa Caterina convent at age 14, where her status as a nun allowed her to pursue art at a time when women were prohibited from the profession.

Her most ambitious work was a life-size depiction of the Last Supper, featuring a poignant inscription, written in Latin, to the viewer: 'Pray for the Paintress'.

Nelli's works have been rediscovered, expanding her oeuvre and giving her the recognition she deserves. Gentileschi's art, which was once sold for less than the price of a used luxury car, now commands millions of dollars at auction.

The stories of Gentileschi and Nelli serve as powerful reminders that women have always been present in the Italian Renaissance, but their contributions have often been marginalised or forgotten sometimes referred to as the ‘hidden half’ of the movement.

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