Portrait of a young woman in profile 

Curator: Oh, look at her, poised like a secret. She seems to be saying, "I know something you don't know," with that sly little smile. There is such restraint in her stillness, but at the same time she looks on the cusp of adventure. Editor: Indeed. Here we have a painting titled "Portrait of a Young Woman in Profile" by Sofonisba Anguissola. While the date of its creation is unknown, it resides at the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, and stands as a remarkable example of Renaissance portraiture and the burgeoning agency of women artists in 16th-century Europe. Curator: Renaissance, right. Those velvet fabrics must've taken eons to embroider with tiny stitches, while I can't stop thinking about the sitter’s relationship with those carnations. Why does she cradle them so tenderly? Are they a gift, a symbol, a fleeting moment of beauty? I keep thinking, those blooms will wither and drop their petals and she's somehow captured that too, within her knowing face. Editor: Absolutely. Those details can certainly be read symbolically. The portrait gives insight to social expectations of women in elite circles, who were often portrayed as embodiments of virtue and refinement, which also signals broader societal issues. Sofonisba Anguissola was exceptional as a woman artist during her time; being from an aristocratic family granted her unusual access to artistic education, yet even still she faced enormous limitations. Curator: I wonder what it must have been like for her, painting this in a world that probably wanted her to just get married off with a decent dowry, instead! Still she makes that choice: capturing the subject’s strength. What did it feel like? Maybe defiance, or glee! It looks very carefully calibrated to the male gaze. Editor: Yes, exactly. As scholars we have the role to discuss those complexities that arise in artwork produced under social restraints. Curator: But, sometimes a painting is also just that: paint on canvas that somehow echoes through time to where we’re standing in front of it, isn’t it? The flowers whispering a gentle ‘yes’ to the possibility of spring in the midst of winter. Editor: Agreed. Thank you for bringing a fresh, vital perspective to the issues that art holds between time.