For most Americans, there’s a list of arts that they might be able to rattle off if pressed to name them off the top of their heads. Picasso. Michelangelo. Leonardo da Vinci. Name recognition does go a long way, but such lists also highlight what many of us don’t know-- a huge treasure trove of talented artists from decades or centuries past that might not be household names, but still have created incredible additions to the story of art. It’s not a surprise that many of these individuals represent the more diverse side of things, too-- women, people of color, different spheres of the social or sexual spectrum. '

This season on the ArtCurious podcast, we’re covering the coolest artists you don’t know. This week: Angelica Kauffman.

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Episode Credits

Production and Editing by Kaboonki. Theme music by Alex Davis.  Social media assistance by Emily Crockett and Caroline Haller. Additional writing and research by Adria Gunter.

ArtCurious is sponsored by Anchorlight, an interdisciplinary creative space, founded with the intent of fostering artists, designers, and craftspeople at varying stages of their development. Home to artist studios, residency opportunities, and exhibition space Anchorlight encourages mentorship and the cross-pollination of skills among creatives in the Triangle.

Additional music credits

"By the Pond (Instrumental)" by Chad Crouch is licensed under BY-NC-3.0; "Weep no more" by Dee Yan-Key is licensed under BY-NC-SA 4.0; "Sunrise" by Yakov Golman is licensed under BY 4.0; "L'Etoile danse (Pt. 1)" by Meydän is licensed under BY 4.0; "New Dawn" by David Hilowitz is licensed under BY-NC 4.0; "Northern Pintail" by Chad Crouch is licensed under BY-NC-3.0. Ad Music: "Punch It" by UncleBibby is licensed under BY 4.0 (Gabriel Method)

Recommended Reading

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Links and further resources

The Irish Monthly: “Angelica Kauffman”

National Museum of Women in the Arts: Angelica Kauffman profile

Episode Transcript

For most Americans, there’s a list of artists that they might be able to rattle off if pressed to name them off the top of their heads. Picasso. Michelangelo. Leonardo da Vinci. Maybe even Andy Warhol or Claude Monet. And that’s fine-- as an art historian, I don’t expect everyone to know a phone book’s worth of artists, and granted, the names of famous musicians or current movie stars are probably more at the front of minds than painters from long ago. But it’s easy to note that name recognition does go a long way, as many of us in the museum field can attest. People know the names of the artists that they know-- and while that seems a bit obvious, such lists also highlight what many of us don’t know-- a huge treasure trove of talented artists from decades or centuries past that might not be household names, but still have created incredible additions to the story of art. It’s not a surprise that many of these individuals represent the more diverse side of things, too-- women, people of color, different spheres of the social or sexual spectrums. So this season on the ArtCurious Podcast, we’re doing something a little different: we’re choosing some fascinating artists whose names and works you might not know.

Some people think that visual art is dry, boring, lifeless. But the stories behind those paintings, sculptures, drawings and photographs are weirder, crazier, or more fun than you can imagine. In season seven, we’re uncovering the coolest artists you don’t know, beginning with a famed painter known and lauded in her own day, but little discussed outside of art history college courses or the occasional museum exhibition. Welcome to the life and work of Angelica Kauffman. 

This is the ArtCurious Podcast, exploring the unexpected, the slightly odd, and the strangely wonderful in Art History. I'm Jennifer Dasal.

We’ve discussed some awesome women in the past on the ArtCurious Podcast, most notably Sofonisba Anguissola in episode 20, Elisabeth Vigée Le Brun and Adelaide Labille-Guiard in episode 37 (and Vigée Le Brun on her own in episode 3), as well as Artemisia Gentileschi, the Baroness Elsa von Freytag-Loringhoven, Lee Krasner, and Elaine de Kooning, among others. And while each are incredible in their own right, I think it’s safe to say that Angelica Kauffman had them beat pretty early on. By the age of twelve, Angelica already had a number of bishops and nobles sitting for her portraits, forming a clientele that would normally require any reputable portraitist decades to build. 

Born in Chur, Switzerland,  in October 1741, Kauffman was, to say the least, a child prodigy - not only was she an immensely talented painter, but also a multi-linguist, with fluency in at least German, French, Italian, and English, and was a promising musician with a potential future as an opera singer. In fact, there seems to have been an early preteen struggle as she attempted to choose between her top passions of painting and singing-- but after a priest informed her that the opera was a world filled with, quote, “seedy people,” she jumped ship musically and threw her attention into the visual arts. 

 Angelica began painting at an early age - and if you’ve listened to ArtCurious in the past, then you probably already know who taught her to paint:  her father, Joseph Johann Kauffman, was the first to train her, and although he himself was rather limited both talent and success, he played an instrumental role in her artistic development because it was he who truly exposed her to the arts. She often accompanied him on his travels, assisting him on various commissioned projects throughout Italy and Austria, and having the opportunity to travel so frequently enabled the young Angelica to not only experience new environments, but also meet and engage with like-minded artists along the way. And it was Italy where Angelica was most inspired. 

After the sudden death of Angelica’s mother, Cleophea, in 1754, however, things slowed down a bit. She and her father moved to his hometown of Schwartzenberg, Switzerland and it was there that she began her career in earnest, scoring commissions for portraits and and projects for the local church. Slowly but surely, Kauffman saving her hard-earned money, with the intention of using the funds to support not only her family, but also her eventual return to Italy. After five years in Schwartzenberg, she had saved up enough to head back to Italian peninsula. 

Angelica Kauffman first immersed herself in Milan before moving on to Florence, where she became a  member of the Accademia di Belle Arti di Firenze in 1762. But it was Rome, where she made multiple visits in the early 1760s, that truly opened up the world for her. At the age of only 21, she was fortunate enough to be awarded a private studio in the gallery of an Italian duke, an unimaginable privilege for any artist, let alone a female one. Not long after moving to Rome, she befriended Johann Joachim Winckelmann, one of the founders of the modern art history discipline and one of the most learned scholars of Greek and Roman art during this time period.

And as we’ll see in Kauffman’s paintings themselves, Winckelmann’s views on the projected path of 18th century European art were particularly influential for the young artist’s professional development. Central to Winckelmann’s beliefs was the notion that the aesthetics of ancient Greek and Roman art were superior to all others. In his mind, artists of the 18th century had become far too imitative in their practice, and it was in their best interest to revert back to what he believed was “fine art.” As he noted succinctly, “There is but one way for the moderns to become great, and perhaps unequalled; I mean by imitating the ancient...especially the Greek arts."

Attempting to become great herself, Angelica heeded his advice, adjusting her technique and, as author Claire O’Keeffe noted in an early 1950s article about the newly-celebrated artist, Kauffman “eradicated] her youthful faults” to achieve a new aesthetic-- one that followed in the newly popular realm of Neoclassicism.

The name Neoclassicism says what it is all about-- the new classics, a modern look back at the basics of Greco-Roman art, style, architecture, and so forth. And like many art movements, this one began in direct opposition to the movement that came before it-- in this case, the flowery, decorative, and excessively ornamental Baroque and Rococo styles of art. It was too overblown, too gaudy, some believed-- and returning to something more solemn and stripped down was the way to go. It was also a wonderful mirror, politically and culturally-speaking, to what was happening in Europe prior to the French Revolution at the end of the century, as influential thinkers began looking back towards classic treatises to inform their own words and actions. 

The rise of Neoclassicism was also helped, in part, by the simultaneous rise in something big: tourism. It was all the rage during this time for the wealthy and privileged--as well as art students-- to make what was called The Grand Tour, traveling through Europe (but predominantly through Italy and France, with the occasional offshoot into Switzerland, Austria, Germany and/or Holland. The biggest draws were due to the newly-founded study of archaeology, and seeing the great ruins of ancient civilizations were THE thing. And there was no better place than Rome to do it. 

One of the great perks of the Grand Tour, for many artists living in Rome, Florence, Venice, and elsewhere, was that the “tourists”--and yes, that’s where we get the term today, from the Grand Tour-- wanted access to souvenirs to take home to remember their trip, and probably also to brag a little in the process. So artists, then, had a flood of customers seeking great tour-inspired art. And what most tourists were enamored of was neoclassicism-- something that reflected the aesthetics and ideals that they discovered during their tour of the great sights of the past. Angelica Kauffman was perfectly centered in Rome for all of this to happen. By the time she was 25, Angelica had reached fame of an incredible height. She was exhaustively sought out after by hundreds of wealthy patrons from all over the European continent wishing to have their portrait painted by the great Angelica Kauffman or to purchase one of her own neoclassical scenes.  And though her talent was the crux of her popularity, it wasn’t the only thing that made her a star. Like Vigée Le Brun, who would follow in her footsteps, Angelica Kauffman was a beauty, charming and magnetic. People loved to be around her-- and it certainly didn’t hurt that she could communicate in so many different languages. She was especially strong in English, which worked to her advantage as throngs of wealthy patrons--many of whom were from England-- traveled through Rome on the Grand Tour. One English patron in particular, a woman known as Lady Wentworth, made an immense impact on Angelica’s career. In her book Miss Angel: The Art and World of Angelica Kauffman, Eighteenth Century Icon, author Angelica Goodden describes Lady Wentworth as a “self-styled diplomat’s wife who had decided to be [Angelica’s] patron and chaperone.” This woman’s intention to make Angelica --another young woman-- her protegee, and to do that, she believed it necessary to relocate the young artist to London. 

That’s coming up next, right after this break. 

Welcome back to ArtCurious.

If your patron thinks you need to move to London to make it big, then that’s what you do, right? So, under the suggestion of Lady Wentworth Angelica Kauffman did just that. She left Rome for London on June 22, 1766, and it worked for her-- she ended up remaining in London for the next fourteen years. During the first few months of her stay, she lived in Lady Wentworth’s home, located in central London. Given Angelica’s this in-the-center-of-anything location, combined with Lady Wentworth’s high social status, and Kauffman’s own famed reputation as a Grand Tour art superstar, wealthy patrons belonging to London’s elite were already lined up at her newly-opened studio doors. In the famous words of one London engraver, "The whole world is Angelicamad.” Soon, her quarters in Lady Wentworth’s home became too cramped, and she moved into the home of a surgeon living nearby. This was common for Angelica throughout her first years in London - in an effort to find a studio space large and comfortable enough to meet her high demand, she moved around the city quite frequently, oftentimes staying in the homes of friends or contacts for months at a time. Eventually, she secured enough funds to finally buy her own house in Golden Square.

One year after her move to England, Angelica met and married a man who went by the name of Count Frederick de Horn. Intrigued by his perceived talent, appearance, and supposed cultural literacy, she fell for him and the two hastily wed in secret. Skeptical of the Count’s true identity, Angelica’s father was determined to reveal the truth regarding his new son-in-law. What was supposed to be a lifelong marriage turned into a dramatic disaster for Angelica and her family, as Clare O’Keeffe mentions in her 1954 article: 

“Old Kauffman’s revenge was to have Horn investigated and to reveal him as an imposter, in reality a scoundrel called Brandt, ex-valet of the real Count, and worst of all, a bigamist. With threats of public exposure and attempts at abduction, Brandt blackmailed the Kauffmans and his eventual disappearance was bought with an enormous bribe…[Angelica’s] mock marriage was, it is true, secret, but she was the subject of much conjecture and gossip, intensified by the real Count’s arrival in London...Added to which, all her savings were spent, and she was forced to work as never before. For several years her unhappiness is reflected in faulty, even feverish, painting.”

Though this was, to say the least, a trying time for Angelica, the following year--1768--brought great fortune for her. First, she was nominated by fellow portraitist and dear friend Sir Joshua Reynolds to be one of the founding members of the British Royal Academy, the country’s independent, artist-run and artist-focused art school and exhibition arena. Angelica would indeed go on to become one of the 34 founding members of the academy and one of the only two women founders. The academy would end up being the place where she would go on to exhibit many of her paintings for the rest of her life. And although Angelica was best known for her portraits during her own lifetime, most of the works she submitted to the Academy depicted events from both ancient and modern history-- and it is these works that she is, perhaps, best known for today, art-historically speaking. 

Take, for example, one of the most well-known of Angelica Kauffman’s paintings, a later work from about 1785 that I first learned about in an art history class in college: a painting called Cornelia, Mother of the Gracchi, Pointing to Her Children as Her Treasures, which we’ll just called Cornelia, Mother of the Gracchi. Now, a little bit of backstory: Cornelia was a real woman, a virtuous and cultured woman who lived during the 2nd century B.C.E. and one who was praised during her own time and far after into the neoclassical period as the ideal mother. Kauffman’s painting shows Cornelia welcoming a visitor-- a wealthy woman to her home, and when the visitor pulls out examples of her luxurious jewelry, all golden and dripping with precious stones, Cornelia has an amazing comeback: she gestures to her children, presenting them as her greatest treasures. And I gotta tell you: the shamed look on the visitor’s face is worth the price of admission for this painting. It’s perfect. And overall, it’s a perfect example of the kind of neoclassical history painting that showcases what Angelica Kauffman is all about: presenting women from classical mythology or history-- women as the subjects, and heroes, of their stories.  And in a small way, Kauffman’s painting is kinda subversive. Bear with me here: Cornelia’s sons, Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus, grew up to become famed political leaders in ancient Rome, known for their social reform and commitment to the everyday people of the ancient city. But instead of painting portraits or representations of Tiberius or Gaius during their adult heights, she portrays them as young boys, molded in their morals by none other than their own exemplary mother. As the art historian Meredith Martin notes, such paintings “provide her audiences with a different means of experiencing history and its representations, playing a significant role in reshaping eighteenth-century European society's attitudes toward creativity, selfhood, and gender identity." 

Things didn’t slow down for Angelica once the 1770s dawned. In the fall of 1771, Angelica was commissioned by the Viceroy of Ireland, Lord Townsend, to paint his portrait, inviting her to do so in Dublin. During her six-month-long stay in Ireland, she received an overwhelming amount of commissions to paint several other portraits of Ireland’s nobility. Additionally, she prepared the designs for a number of decorative works on ceilings, door panels, tables, and mantle pieces. Although historical records will often attribute these works to Angelica alone, it is highly unlikely that she was able to actually complete all them during such a short amount of time-- but even if completed with the additional assistance of spades of apprentices, it’s still an awesome feat, being so highly sought-after in portraiture, history painting, and the decorative arts. When she returned to London the following year, she even expanded her practice to etching and engraving, creating a total of forty-four plates. This woman could do it all. 

Angelica Kauffman’s career slowed down a bit in the latter part of the 1770s and into the 1780s. Upon her return to England after her time spent in Ireland, her popularity had waned with the emergence of a changing population and new artistic and cultural vogues. But things personally looked great for her. In 1781, she married Venetian painter Antonio Zucchi and left London with her new husband and her father,  moving back once again to her father’s hometown, Schwarzenberg. Papa Kauffman died only a year later. After his death, Italy was calling again, so Angelica and Antonio moved to Naples, where they intended to settle. But her heart was in Rome, the location she called her “spiritual home.” And happy wife equals a happy life, right? So together, the artists moved to the eternal city, and just as she always had, Angelica Kauffman was met with a booming clientele comprised of visitors, art galleries, and reigning monarchs. Her knack for social influence had not been lost, and once again she became one of, if not the most popular artist in all of Rome.  And it was there that she remained for the rest of her life. Though her final years were tainted by the inevitable gloom of both the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror to follow, she still managed to produce some of her best works during this time-- like Cornelia, Mother of the Gracchi. After her death in 1807, she was still seen as an indomitable force, so much so that John Constable, one of the stars of episode 36 of ArtCurious, once proclaimed that no progress could be made in the world of art until Angelica Kauffman’s influence was forgotten. 

But forgotten it was, for a long time, outside of the realm of art historical scholars. But she never went away, of course. Thankfully with the wave of feminist rediscovery and reattribution of art in the 1970s, Angelica Kauffman began to shine brightly again, thanks to the work of pioneering historians like the late, great Linda Nochlin and the original riot girls of art, the Guerilla Girls. Now she’s one of the most celebrated artists of the Neoclassical age. And let’s make sure she stays in that lauded sphere because she certainly deserved it, not only in her own time, but in ours, too. 

Thank you for listening to the ArtCurious Podcast. This episode was written, produced, and narrated by me, Jennifer Dasal, with additional writing and research help by Adria Gunter. Our theme music is by Alex Davis at alexdavismusic.com, our logo is by Dave Rainey at daveraineydesign.com, and social media help is by Emily Crockett and Caroline Haller. Our production and editorial services are provided by Kaboonki. Top-tier podcasts and video. Learn more at Kaboonki.com. The ArtCurious Podcast is sponsored primarily by Anchorlight. Anchorlight is a creative space, founded with the intent of fostering artists, designers, and craftspeople at varying stages of their development. Home to artist studios, residency opportunities, and exhibition space Anchorlight encourages mentorship and the cross-pollination of skills among creatives in the Triangle. please visit Anchorlightraleigh.com.

The ArtCurious Podcast is also fiscally sponsored by VAE Raleigh, a 501c3 nonprofit creativity incubator. We’re a fully independent podcast, and we rely on sponsors and donations to keep us going, so if you enjoy this show and have the means, please consider giving $10 to help this show, and thank you for your kindness. And if you don’t have money to give, that’s okay! You can help our show as well by leaving a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen-- believe me, it makes a huge difference and helps new listeners tune in. For more details about our show, including the image mentioned in this episode today, please visit our website: artcuriouspodcast.com. We’re also on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at artcuriouspod. 

Check back in two weeks as we continue to explore the unexpected, the slightly odd, and the strangely wonderful in art history.