Art is the Solution

A Crystal Fruit Stand with Peaches, Quinces, and Jasmine Flowers Source: Wikimedia Commons The Renaissance was a revolutionary moment in the history of Western art. The movement framed many of the artistic traditions and conventions that we now take for granted; it is hard to imagine what Western visual culture would look like today without the Renaissance. While these revolutionary changes in art are usually associated with male painters such as Raphael and da Vinci, the Renaissance movement was actually much more diverse and interesting. Fede Galizia is one of the great female artists of the Renaissance movement who has largely been forgotten by history. However, during her lifetime Galizia was known as a talented artist. Her skill was such that her work was in demand from the age of twelve onwards. This is even more remarkable when you consider that female painters faced many restrictions in the sixteenth century. Because of such social pressures, Galizia focused on religious scenes...

Corazón Egoísta Source: A ndrés Blaisten Museum Like many of the Modernists artists of the twentieth century, Olga Costa’s life was shaped by war. Her family fled Germany for Mexico in the 1920s due to the political and economic fallout of World War I. Costa arrived in Mexico at the age of twelve and remained there for the rest of her life. The transition from grey, war-torn Europe to warm, colorful Mexico made a profound impact on Costa and her art. Although she was born in Germany, Costa firmly embraced her adopted country and through herself into Mexican culture. Costa sought to capture the essence of Mexico in her art. She embraced elements of the Spanish Costumbrismo style, which sought to capture everyday life in a realistic manner. As the Andrés Blaisten Museum notes , her work captures “the very image of the Mexican, as it serenely represents the flow of daily life, in which one can see the magic in the common place, the landscape, the flowers, the people, in everythin...

Flowers in a Glass Vase Source: Detroit Institute of Arts The prosperity of the Dutch Golden Age gave many artists from the Netherlands the chance to flourish. Economic growth in the Netherlands fueled a desire for art and other luxury items, giving rise to an explosion of artistic production. Female painters were among those to benefit. Although painting has traditionally been seen as an inappropriate profession for a woman in the Western world, Dutch female artists were often able to circumvent this social taboo by focusing on still-lifes, a subject deemed acceptable to women. Still-life paintings also experienced a rise in popularity during the Golden Age, creating an ideal environment for the female artists of the time. Rachel Ruysch was one such artist. Ruysch is one of the most successful female painters in the history of Western art. She painted for over six decades and enjoyed critical acclaim and financial success throughout her life. Ruysch’s artistic specialty was flower...