The Artist in Training
Sirani was fortunate in acquiring a mentor, the collector, biographer, and art historian Count Carlo Cesare Malvasia. He recognized her promise and affirmed in Vite di Pittori Bolognesi [Lives of Bolognese Painters] that her work was "of supreme quality." He advised Giovanni Sirani to encourage her in the arts beyond the usual attainments of Renaissance girls.
Under skilled instructors, Elisabetta developed a distinctive style. From Reni, an imitator of Raphael, she learned narrative organization and lyricism while serving as her teacher's studio assistant. From studying with her father, she developed a taste for dark, rich jewel tones, the dominant palette in Italian fashions and residential decor. By her mid-teens, she soon outpaced his talent and earned her own commissions from admirers and seekers of vigorous, creative talent.
A Teenage Professional Artist
Sirani's father never intended for Elisabetta to earn a living painting and engraving. After he lost flexibility in his hands from gout in 1655, however, he set his 17-year-old successor to support the family from her earnings. Historians surmise that he not only influenced her to paint quickly, he also discouraged suitors to keep his golden goose unmarried, working at her easel and earning profits from her admired canvases.
This is a free page. This page contains 188 words. This
biography contains 1,625 words (approx. 5 pages at 300
words per page).
Read the rest of this Biography with our Elisabetta Sirani Access Pass.
