Secret Life of Sofonisba Anguissola

Lingvo: English

Eldonita je 18-a de decembro 2020 de MATTA PRESS.

ISBN:: 978-1-7351764-3-7

(1 recenzo)

Set in the sixteenth-century, The Secret Life of Sofonisba Anguissola tells the story of a woman’s passion for painting and adventure. In a world where women painters had little to no acknowledgment, she was singled out by Michelangelo and Vasari who recognized and praised her talent. Gaining the Milanese elite’s acclaim, she went on to become court painter to Spanish King Philip II and taught his queen to paint.

One can’t live such an extraordinary life without having stories to tell, and tell them Sofonisba does to Sir Anthony Van Dyke, who comes to visit her toward the end of her life. During their meeting, she agrees to reveal her secrets but first challenges the younger painter to find the one lie hidden in her tale. In a saga filled with intrigue, jealousy, buried treasure, unrequited love, espionage, and murder, Sofonisba’s story is played out against the backdrop of Italy, …

Set in the sixteenth-century, The Secret Life of Sofonisba Anguissola tells the story of a woman’s passion for painting and adventure. In a world where women painters had little to no acknowledgment, she was singled out by Michelangelo and Vasari who recognized and praised her talent. Gaining the Milanese elite’s acclaim, she went on to become court painter to Spanish King Philip II and taught his queen to paint.

One can’t live such an extraordinary life without having stories to tell, and tell them Sofonisba does to Sir Anthony Van Dyke, who comes to visit her toward the end of her life. During their meeting, she agrees to reveal her secrets but first challenges the younger painter to find the one lie hidden in her tale. In a saga filled with intrigue, jealousy, buried treasure, unrequited love, espionage, and murder, Sofonisba’s story is played out against the backdrop of Italy, Spain, and Sicily. Throughout her life, she encounters talented artists, authoritative dukes, mad princes, religious kings, spying queens, vivacious viscounts, and dashing sea captains—even a Barbary pirate. But of all the people who fell in love with Sofonisba, only one captured her heart. The painter may have many secrets but the truth of her life is crystal clear from the beginning.

Always a strong, passionate woman with a dream, she was an intelligent artist who knew her self-worth and in the end, as Michelangelo had done for her, Sofonisba passed her brush to a new generation.

3 eldonoj

Stephanie Jane recenzis Secret Life of Sofonisba Anguissola de Melissa Muldoon

Good historical fiction

4 steloj

I love discovering forgotten historical women, especially through reading fictionalised accounts of their lives. For some reason facts imparted through reading historical fiction seem to stick in my mind better than those from nonfiction books. Perhaps it is because I identify better with the emotional aspect of fictional writing which is often absent from straight biographies? In any case, I don't think I had heard of Sofonisba Anguissola prior to spotting Melissa Muldoon's new novel, even though the events described within this book are from the same era - and even involve many of the same people - as Francis I by Leonie Frieda and The Rival Queens by Nancy Goldstone.

Sofonisba benefited from having an unusually (for the times) supportive father who, once he discovered her precocious artistic talents, did everything within his power to create and further a career for her. Muldoon begins by introducing readers to an …

I love discovering forgotten historical women, especially through reading fictionalised accounts of their lives. For some reason facts imparted through reading historical fiction seem to stick in my mind better than those from nonfiction books. Perhaps it is because I identify better with the emotional aspect of fictional writing which is often absent from straight biographies? In any case, I don't think I had heard of Sofonisba Anguissola prior to spotting Melissa Muldoon's new novel, even though the events described within this book are from the same era - and even involve many of the same people - as Francis I by Leonie Frieda and The Rival Queens by Nancy Goldstone.

Sofonisba benefited from having an unusually (for the times) supportive father who, once he discovered her precocious artistic talents, did everything within his power to create and further a career for her. Muldoon begins by introducing readers to an elderly Sofonisba who, in telling her life story to a young visitor, also tells us. I was a bit disconcerted at the switch from first to third person point of view, but soon got back into the tale. Muldoon writes in an engaging style with authentic historical details to deepen the atmosphere. Her characters felt genuine, especially the eternally bickering sisters, but I also loved that the man who captures Sofonisba's heart has a wisp of magical realism about him. The Secret Life of Sofonisba Anguissola is an entertaining portrait of a remarkable woman and I am grateful to Melissa Muldoon for bringing her out of obscurity so modern women such as myself can learn about her life and appreciate her surviving work.

Temoj

Fiction, general
Fiction, historical, general