There are many women who don't appear in art history books, even though they were certainly part of it. Virtually everyone, whether or not they are interested in painting, sculpture, or any other art form, would be able to name numerous male artists, but those not so interested would struggle to name more than five or seven women artists. And since we don't want this to continue, today we want to recognize the work of some of them.
Berthe Morisot (1841-1895)
Morisot belonged to an upper-class family and thanks to this she was able to educate herself in the art world, which allowed her to meet at a very early age, at 20, the renowned landscape artist Camille Corot, who took her on as her disciple and introduced her to artistic circles.
Art critic Gustave Geffroy expressed his admiration for her work in "History of Impressionism." At a time when women who painted mostly did so as a hobby, she wanted to pursue a career in painting and achieved this, exhibiting alongside other artists such as Renoir and Monet, among others.
Camille Claudel (1864-1943)
We've talked about Claudel on other occasions, both on our blog and on our social media. Unfairly, Camille is remembered more for being Rodin's muse than for her excellent work.
She entered the Academy directed by the sculptor Alfred Boucher at a very young age, where she trained as a sculptor. At 22, she rented and shared a studio with Rodin, and although his works were widely appreciated, when she exhibited them, it was always assumed that he was helping her. She wanted to be recognized for herself, but she never achieved this.
In the end, after 12 years as Rodin's lover, the relationship ended, with catastrophic effects on Camille. A year after her father's death, when she was about 50 years old, she was transferred to a mental asylum, where she lived forgotten for the last 30 years of her life. Ironically, her work is now on display in the Rodin Museum.
Liubov Popova (1889-1924)
This artist-constructor, associated with the revolutionary avant-garde and Soviet Constructivism, was one of the greatest proponents of abstract art in Russia and one of the most prominent artists of the early 20th century. Her work also began to reflect the influence of Futurism after a trip to Italy, where she became acquainted with the movement. She also began to incorporate aspects of Cubism. Unfortunately, her untimely death at the age of 35 ended a long and successful career.
Stone carving tools
Did you know any of these artists? There are many more women who have left their mark on art history and who, unfortunately, are not well-known to the general public. Would you like us to talk about them more in the future? If so, just ask us in the comments.
And if you're interested in acquiring new tools for your stone sculptures, at Rock&Tools we have a large catalog so you can find exactly what you need for your next project. If you have any questions, please contact us for advice. We also invite you to join our community: you can follow us on our social media.
