Barbara Longhi (, ; 21 September 1552 – 23 December 1638)
was an
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
painter. She was much admired in her lifetime as a portraitist, although most of her portraits are now lost or unattributed. Her work, such as her many
Madonna and Child
In art, a Madonna () is a representation of Mary, either alone or with her child Jesus. These images are central icons for both the Catholic and Orthodox churches. The word is (archaic). The Madonna and Child type is very prevalent in ...
paintings, earned her a fine reputation as an artist.
Life and work
Barbara Longhi was born on 21 September 1552 in the northern Italian city of
Ravenna
Ravenna ( , , also ; rgn, Ravèna) is the capital city of the Province of Ravenna, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy. It was the capital city of the Western Roman Empire from 408 until its collapse in 476. It then served as the cap ...
, where she spent her entire life.
Her father,
Luca Longhi
Luca Longhi (14 January 1507 – August 12, 1580) was an Italian painter of the late-Renaissance or Mannerist period, active in and near Ravenna, where he mainly produced religious paintings and portraits.
Biography
It is unclear who his mas ...
(1507–1580), was a well-known
Mannerist
Mannerism, which may also be known as Late Renaissance, is a style in European art that emerged in the later years of the Italian High Renaissance around 1520, spreading by about 1530 and lasting until about the end of the 16th century in Italy, ...
painter,
and her older brother Francesco (1544–1618) was also a painter. Both siblings received painting education from their father and were part of his studio,
with Barbara assisting in such projects as work on large
altarpieces.
She also modeled, and gained some familiarity with the process of marketing her artwork to patrons.
Although her training was completed by 1570, her ties to her family and to her father's workshop remained strong. Very little is known of her life, not even whether she was ever married.
![Virgin and Child with Saint, Barbara Longhi](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/13/Virgin_and_Child_with_Saint%2C_Barbara_Longhi.jpg)
Longhi was very respected as a portraitist, but only one of her portraits, the ''
Camaldolese
The Camaldolese Hermits of Mount Corona ( la, Congregatio Eremitarum Camaldulensium Montis Coronae), commonly called Camaldolese is a monastic order of Pontifical Right for men founded by Saint Romuald. Their name is derived from the Holy Hermita ...
Monk'', is known today. This is also her only known painting depicting an adult male, and one of only a few that includes a date (although the last digit is not entirely legible; it may be 1570 or 1573).
Longhi's father had depicted her as
Saint Barbara
Saint Barbara ( grc, Ἁγία Βαρβάρα; cop, Ϯⲁⲅⲓⲁ Ⲃⲁⲣⲃⲁⲣⲁ; ; ), known in the Eastern Orthodox Church as the Great Martyr Barbara, was an early Christian Lebanese and Greek saint and martyr. Accounts place her in t ...
in his 1570 painting ''Virgin and Child Enthroned with Saints''. Longhi also probably modeled for her father's ''Nuptials of Cana''.
Her ''Saint Catherine of Alexandria'' (''above'') bears a strong resemblance to her father's depictions of her in the two paintings mentioned above, and it is generally acknowledged as a self-portrait.
Of Longhi's portrayal of herself as the aristocratic, cultured
Saint Catherine of Alexandria
Catherine of Alexandria (also spelled Katherine); grc-gre, ἡ Ἁγία Αἰκατερίνη ἡ Μεγαλομάρτυς ; ar, سانت كاترين; la, Catharina Alexandrina). is, according to tradition, a Christian saint and virgin, wh ...
, Irene Graziani writes that "when she exhibits an image of herself, Barbara, too, is presented according to the model of the virtuous, elegant and erudite woman, revisiting the themes which Lavinia [
Fontana] had developed several years earlier in Bologna, according to a repertoire tied to late Mannerism".
It has been suggested that Longhi may have presented her self-portrait as the devotional image of a saint in order to avoid the appearance of indulging in the sin of
vanity
Vanity is the excessive belief in one's own abilities or attractiveness to others. Prior to the 14th century it did not have such narcissistic undertones, and merely meant ''futility''. The related term vainglory is now often seen as an archaic ...
.
Originally commissioned for the monastery of
Sant'Apollinare in Classe
The Basilica of Sant' Apollinare in Classe ("Saint Apollinaris in Classe") is a church in Classe, Ravenna, Italy, consecrated on 9 May 549 by the bishop Maximian and dedicated to Saint Apollinaris, the first bishop of Ravenna and Classe. ...
,
the painting was acquired by the Museo d'Arte della Città di Ravenna in 1829, and underwent a restoration in 1980.
Several other of her depictions of Catherine of Alexandria exist.
Most of Longhi's paintings are unsigned, but on one she included the initials "B.L.F.", standing for "Barbara Longhi
fecit" ("made by Barbara Longhi")
and on another, "B.L.P.", for "Barbara Longhi
pinxit
(from Latin: "one painted") is a stylized amendment added to the signature depiction of the name of the person responsible for a work of art, found conventionally in the Late Middle Ages and the Renaissance art, Renaissance. It is sometimes abbre ...
" ("painted by Barbara Longhi").
As almost all of her work was unsigned, it is unknown how many paintings she created or are still in existence. Only about fifteen are definitively attributed to her.
Of those, about twelve are paintings of the
Virgin and Child
In art, a Madonna () is a representation of Mary, either alone or with her child Jesus. These images are central icons for both the Catholic and Orthodox churches. The word is (archaic). The Madonna and Child type is very prevalent ...
;
such paintings were very popular during the
Counter-Reformation
The Counter-Reformation (), also called the Catholic Reformation () or the Catholic Revival, was the period of Catholic resurgence that was initiated in response to the Protestant Reformation. It began with the Council of Trent (1545–1563) a ...
.
It is thought that some of her works may be erroneously attributed to her father.
Among Longhi's paintings which do not depict the Madonna is ''Judith with the Head of Holofernes'' (ca. 1570–75).
This subject was also painted by other female artists including
Fede Galizia
Fede Galizia, better known as Galizia, ( 1578 – 1630) was an Italian Renaissance painter of still-lifes, portraits, and religious pictures. She is especially noted as a painter of still-lifes of fruit, a genre in which she was one of the earlie ...
,
Elisabetta Sirani
Elisabetta Sirani (8 January 1638 – 28 August 1665) was an Italian Baroque painter and printmaker who died in unexplained circumstances at the age of 27. She was a pioneering female artist in early modern Bologna, who established an academy fo ...
and
Artemisia Gentileschi. Longhi's version differs greatly from
two versions painted by Gentileschi in that it does not depict the violent act; instead, her Judith appears to seek forgiveness as she looks heavenward. This is consistent with Counter-Reformation ideas about willingness to admit guilt, and believing in absolution for the penitent.
![Madonna Adoring the Child, Barbara Longhi](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c2/Madonna_Adoring_the_Child%2C_Barbara_Longhi.jpg)
The simplicity of composition and subtle colour palette used in her paintings also reflect the doctrines of the Counter-Reformation. Her relatively small works, as opposed to the large altarpieces created by her father, are indicative of their intended emphasis on devotional thoughts. She sought to evoke empathy in the viewer with her subjects. She resisted the trend to create huge Biblical scenes, instead concentrating on serene depictions of the Virgin and Child.
Her artistic influences included
Raphael
Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino, better known as Raphael (; or ; March 28 or April 6, 1483April 6, 1520), was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. List of works by Raphael, His work is admired for its clarity of form, ease of ...
,
Antonio da Correggio,
Parmigianino
Girolamo Francesco Maria Mazzola (11 January 150324 August 1540), also known as Francesco Mazzola or, more commonly, as Parmigianino (, , ; "the little one from Parma"), was an Italian Mannerist painter and printmaker active in Florence, Rome, Bo ...
,
Marcantonio Raimondi
Marcantonio Raimondi, often called simply Marcantonio (c. 1470/82 – c. 1534), was an Italian engraver, known for being the first important printmaker whose body of work consists largely of prints copying paintings. He is therefore a key figu ...
, and
Agostino Veneziano
Agostino Veneziano ("Venetian Agostino"), whose real name was Agostino de' Musi (c. 1490 – c. 1540), was an important and prolific Italian engraver of the Renaissance.
Life
Veneziano was born in Venice, where he trained as an artist, though ...
.
The international success of famed female Italian painter
Sofonisba Anguissola
Sofonisba Anguissola ( – 16 November 1625), also known as Sophonisba Angussola or Sophonisba Anguisciola, was an Italian Renaissance painter born in Cremona to a relatively poor noble family. She received a well-rounded education that i ...
may have also served as an inspiration.
While influenced by these major figures, her own unique style evolved; for example, her delicate rendering of features such as arms and necks on her Madonnas, and her use of a "warm and subtle golden palette".
She "links traditional composition with intensity of feeling and innovative colouring."
She died in Ravenna on 23 December 1638, at the age of 86.
Assessment
Longhi is one of the few female artists mentioned in the second edition (1568) of Italian painter and art historian
Giorgio Vasari
Giorgio Vasari (, also , ; 30 July 1511 – 27 June 1574) was an Italian Renaissance Master, who worked as a painter, architect, engineer, writer, and historian, who is best known for his work ''The Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculpt ...
's epic work ''
Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects
''The Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects'' ( it, Le vite de' più eccellenti pittori, scultori, e architettori), often simply known as ''The Lives'' ( it, Le Vite), is a series of artist biographies written by 16th-ce ...
''.
Vasari writes that Longhi "draws very well, and she has begun to colour some things with good grace and manner".
But as
Germaine Greer
Germaine Greer (; born 29 January 1939) is an Australian writer and public intellectual, regarded as one of the major voices of the radical feminist movement in the latter half of the 20th century.
Specializing in English and women's literat ...
discussed in her ''The Obstacle Race: The Fortunes of Women Painters and Their Work'', such "haphazard" selections of women artists including Longhi rarely offered "serious criticism of their achievement."
Greer then offered her own assessment: "Barbara's output was considerable, all small pictures, remarkable for their purity of line and soft brilliance of colour"
and "Barbara Longhi brings to her extremely conservative picture-making a simplicity and intensity of feeling quite beyond her mannerist father and her dilettante brother."
![Madonna and Child (Indianapolis), Barbara Longhi](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0a/Madonna_and_Child_%28Indianapolis%29%2C_Barbara_Longhi.jpg)
Muzio Manfredi assessed Longhi's talent in a 1575 lecture in Bologna:
Despite a measure of fame in her home town of Ravenna, Longhi was not well known elsewhere during her lifetime. Her paintings provide some insight into the Counter-Reformation's influence on regional art.
Collections
The Museo d'Arte della Città di Ravenna owns seven works by Barbara Longhi, as well as eleven of her father Luca's and three by her brother Francesco.
Her work is represented in the collections of the
Musée du Louvre
The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...
(Paris),
National Museum of Art of Romania
The National Museum of Art of Romania ( ro, Muzeul Național de Artă al României) is located in the Royal Palace in Revolution Square, central Bucharest. It features collections of medieval and modern Romanian art, as well as the international ...
(Bucharest),
Pinacoteca di Brera
The Pinacoteca di Brera ("Brera Art Gallery") is the main public gallery for paintings in Milan, Italy. It contains one of the foremost collections of Italian paintings from the 13th to the 20th century, an outgrowth of the cultural program of ...
(Milan),
Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna
The National Art Gallery of Bologna (''Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna'') is a museum in Bologna, Italy. It is located in the former Saint Ignatius Jesuit novitiate of the city's University district, and inside the same building that houses the ...
, Museo Biblioteca del
Grappa
Grappa is an alcoholic beverage: a fragrant, grape-based pomace brandy of Italian origin that contains 35 to 60 percent alcohol by volume (70 to 120 US proof).
Grappa is made by distilling the skins, pulp, seeds, and stems (i.e., the poma ...
,
Walters Art Museum
The Walters Art Museum, located in Mount Vernon-Belvedere, Baltimore, Maryland, United States, is a public art museum founded and opened in 1934. It holds collections established during the mid-19th century. The museum's collection was amassed ...
(Baltimore, Maryland), and
Indianapolis Museum of Art
The Indianapolis Museum of Art (IMA) is an encyclopedic art museum located at Newfields, a campus that also houses Lilly House, The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park: 100 Acres, the Gardens at Newfields, the Beer Garden, and more. It ...
, and also in the Santa Maria Maggiore (Ravenna).
References
Sources
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Longhi, Barbara
Italian women painters
People from Ravenna
1552 births
1638 deaths
16th-century Italian painters
16th-century Italian women artists
17th-century Italian painters
17th-century Italian women artists
Catholic painters
Female Catholic artists