Women Artists - Poster

For centuries, women artists have tried to gain respect and success in their field. Although they were treated as intruders in the world of art, they were not discouraged and many women managed to build great careers as artists. The circumstances in which they were born and lived were not seen as a problem but as a challenge. Regardless of the successful careers they had, almost all of them were left out of history books and forgotten after death. It is time to understand that it is the duty of all of us to know and understand the history of woman artists, where they were and what they did to bring us to where we are today. We need to get to know them, find inspiration in their life stories and continue where they left off.

The women on this poster are:

top-left: Artemisia Gentileschi- an Italian Baroque painter, more talented than her male siblings. She is famous for her depiction of women as main actors in her paintings.

bottom-left: Catharina van Hemessen- a Dutch renaissance painter that was taught by her father. She is probably the first artist to ever paint a self-portrait seated at an easel.

top-middle: Mina Karadžić - a Serbian painter and writer and the daughter of the reformer of the Serbian language.

bottom-middle: Elisabeth-Louise Vigée-Lebru - a French painter that famously painted Marie Antoinette. Because of the French revolution she had to flee to Italy where she continued her prolific career and was a single mother.

top-right: Katarina Ivanović- a Serbian painter famous for her self portrait and her paintings of grapes. She left most of her paintings and money to the National museum of Serbia and is therefore credited for its existence.

bottom-right: Judith Leyster- a Dutch painter who was so respected she had several pupils. After her death many of her works were credited to Frans Hals and this was only recently proven to be false.

The poster depicts a single body with many mask like faces staked on top. It illustrates how even though all of these women artists are different, they share some of the same circumstances and obstacles that didn't stop them from achieving their dreams. Their dedication layed the foundation for a fight for equality which is still happening and we must continue their work.