L. Ivanytska, PhD in History, Associate Professor
Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Kyiv, Ukraine
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17721/1728-2640.2018.139.06
LIFE PATH AND CREATIVITY OF PROPERZIA DE ROSSI IN THE CYCLE OF CONCEPTS “MEDIEVAL WOMAN”, “ART”, “SOCIETY”
The article raises questions about the role and place of women in medieval society and the artistic space. The possibilities for realizing the artistic potential of female artists and female sculptors are explored. The historiography of the outlined problem is analyzed. It is noted that the main obstacles to full creative self-realization of the female artists were numerous social stereotypes, limited access to professional artistic education and artistic practice, lack of social and economic independence, social discrimination and harassment in the process of becoming part of the androcentric professional elite.
An example of an analysis of the way of life and the creative work of the first famous sculpture woman of the Renaissance Properzia de Rossi era demonstrated the intolerance of the medieval society and the artistic community to the possibility of self-realization of the medieval female artist as a sculptor.
The main source for research is the monumental work of the Italian architect, theorist and first historian of art, Giorgio Vasari, «The Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects». Propperzia de Rossi is one of the four female artists whom Vasari is paying attention in his stories. The author of the article has shown that Vasari belted the biography of Propercia de Rossi, as he strengthened his contemptuous attitude to the mistress. Vasari used the life and work of de Rossi as an example of the fact that all women, albeit very talented and capable of creating interesting work, are not in a position to escape certain female character traits in their writings. Finally, Vasari recognizes the talent of Properzia de Rossi and states the lack of understanding and worthy support from the contemporary society.
At the end of the article, the author concludes on the urgent need for a critical analysis of the rather tendentious present-day presentation of the history of the arts and the need to revisit previously unobserved gender aspects in canonical Western-European art.
Key words: Properzia de Rossi, female sculptor, art, Bologna, medieval society.
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References:
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