Title: Self-portrait as Apollo

Artist: Giovanna Garzoni

Medium: Tempera on parchment, laid down on linen

Date: circa 1618-1620

Dimensions: 42 x 33 cm

Giovanna Garzoni

Giovanna Garzoni was born in 1600 in Ascoli Piceno of the Marche region of Italy [1]. She is best known for her still life pieces, with which she became famous and renowned. She was one of the pioneers for women into the still life genre, and as such stood out greatly. Many of her still life works allude to sexual reproduction and genitalia, and are considered to have pro-feminist messages [2]. Furthermore, Garzoni's interpersonal connections potentially had an influence on her work. She married her husband, Tiberio Tinelli, but soon after, had their marriage annulled, allowing her to freely pursue her artistic career without the pressures of being a wife in early modern times [3]. Travelling across much of Europe, Garzoni gained inspiration from the various sights she witnessed. Garzoni moved around and produced notable works in Italy, Spain, and France, and then settled for a while to be a painter for the Medici family where she was assured her art was to be appreciated and secured a stable source of income for herself. Her drawings were frequently showcased throughout the Medici villas [2]. Garzoni’s still life paintings resemble those of artists such as Fede Galizia (1578-1630) and she is thought to have been potentially influenced by Jacopo Ligozzi, yet Garzoni’s works stand out for her inclusion of lively animals, insects, and variety in her inclusion of fruit subjects [2, 4]. Although Garzoni's oeuvre also includes religious pieces from her time working for Charles Emanuel II and Christine de France in Turin [2], this exhibit focuses on her botanical pieces. These feature a wide variety of fruits, ranging from figs to apples to peaches to citrons.  Giovanna eventually died in 1670, but not before establishing herself as an artist and inspiring other female artists to work with still life pieces. Garzoni's unique use of tempera on vellum further differentiates her works from others because of their illuminative properties [5], which make the botanical subjects appear more natural and textured in such well-lit artistic settings.