Caterina van Hemessen
About the Artist
As one of the first female Flemish artists, Caterina van Hemessen is mostly known for her small-scale portrait paintings. Caterina's Self Portrait (1548) might be the first self-portrait of an artist at work while depicting an easel and canvas, regardless of if the artist is male or female. Her Dutch-period clothing on her painted figures bring out the culture and homeliness of cities and people in the Netherlands. Van Hemessen's Girl at the Virginal (1548) and her Portrait of a Woman (1548) help to accentuate the charm, delicacy, and grace of women during the Dutch Renaissance.
About the Movement
Van Hemessen worked in the Renaissance Age of art. The Renaissance Age was a time, mostly known throughout Europe, that occurred during the 14th and 17th Centuries (or between the 1300s and 1600s). It lies between the Middle Ages and the Baroque Age. Literally meaning "rebirth", the Renaissance was a rebirth of Classical antiquity, allowing artists, writers, poets, scholars, scientists, and philosophers to study and pay homage to their ancient ancestors. During this time, artists were known for painting and sculpting works of Greco-Roman mythology or narratives from the Bible that showcased both cultural themes as well as themes of Christianity. Some of the most famous Renaissance artists included Michelangelo Buonarroti, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael Sanzio, and Tiziano Vecello (better known as Titian).
Fun Fact: Van Hemessen was a commissioned artist of Queen Mary of Hungary, who was the daughter of Spain's King Philip I and Queen Joanna.
Resources: Frances Borzello, Seeing Ourselves: Women's Self-Portraiture, (London, United Kingdom: Thames & Hudson, 1998).
As one of the first female Flemish artists, Caterina van Hemessen is mostly known for her small-scale portrait paintings. Caterina's Self Portrait (1548) might be the first self-portrait of an artist at work while depicting an easel and canvas, regardless of if the artist is male or female. Her Dutch-period clothing on her painted figures bring out the culture and homeliness of cities and people in the Netherlands. Van Hemessen's Girl at the Virginal (1548) and her Portrait of a Woman (1548) help to accentuate the charm, delicacy, and grace of women during the Dutch Renaissance.
About the Movement
Van Hemessen worked in the Renaissance Age of art. The Renaissance Age was a time, mostly known throughout Europe, that occurred during the 14th and 17th Centuries (or between the 1300s and 1600s). It lies between the Middle Ages and the Baroque Age. Literally meaning "rebirth", the Renaissance was a rebirth of Classical antiquity, allowing artists, writers, poets, scholars, scientists, and philosophers to study and pay homage to their ancient ancestors. During this time, artists were known for painting and sculpting works of Greco-Roman mythology or narratives from the Bible that showcased both cultural themes as well as themes of Christianity. Some of the most famous Renaissance artists included Michelangelo Buonarroti, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael Sanzio, and Tiziano Vecello (better known as Titian).
Fun Fact: Van Hemessen was a commissioned artist of Queen Mary of Hungary, who was the daughter of Spain's King Philip I and Queen Joanna.
Resources: Frances Borzello, Seeing Ourselves: Women's Self-Portraiture, (London, United Kingdom: Thames & Hudson, 1998).
Artworks found in the Château:
(No artworks found in the Château by this artist)