Until the twentieth century, the idea that women in the West have always made art was rarely cited as a possibility. Yet they have--and, of course, continue to do so--often against tremendous odds, from laws and religion to the pressures of family and public disapproval. In The mirror and the palette, Jennifer Higgie introduces us to a cross-section of women artists who embody the fact that there is more than one way to understand our planet, more than one way to live in it and more than one way to make art about it. Spanning 500 years, biography and cultural history intertwine in a narrative packed with tales of rebellion, adventure, revolution, travel and tragedy enacted by women who turned their back on convention and lives lives of great resilience, creativity and bravery. Illustrated are self-portraits of Marcia from Giovanni Boccaccio De mulieribus claris, Catharine van Hemessen, Sofonisba Anguissola, Judith Leyster, Artemisia Gentileschi, Elisabetta Sirani, Mary Beale, Rosalba Carriera, Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun, Angelica Kauffman, Mari Bashkirtseff, Gwen John, Paula Modersohn-Becker, Helene Schjerfbeck, Suzanne Valadon, Margaret Preston, Nora Heysen, Amrita Sher-Gil, Leonora Carrington, Loïs Maillou Jones, Rita Angus, Frida Kahlo, and Alice Neel
