The year is 1623, and Sir Anthony Van Dyck had come to visit me. He said to have come for advice, although my vision is so far gone you might call me blind. I was not able to paint or sketch for him, because I have what is called "cataracts" today. I did, however, give him verbal advice.
Before my vision started to fade, I had seen some of Anthony's work. For example, I saw one of his earlier self-portraits. Beautiful work, but I did encourage him to experiment with richer and brighter colors from time to time.
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| Self-portrait by Anthony Van Dyck |
I allowed him to paint a portrait of me, and I am glad it is he who will be painting the last one. At 91 years old, it would not be strange if I passed any day now.
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| Portrait of Sofonisba Anguissola by Anthony Van Dyck | | | |
It is an accurate depiction of me, although I do look rather terrible. I do hope that he will take my advice to heart and continue to grow as an artist. Although I myself can no longer paint, I do enjoy supporting the younger generation of painters.
- Sofonisba Anguissola, 91 years old
Sources: wikipedia.org, blog.raucousroyals.com
I was writing an article about Sofonista and I came across with your blog. I loved it. Hope you will continue with it. Bye, Cris
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