Angelica Kauffman

Angelica Kauffman's paintings bring classical literature, history, and portraiture into carefully organized figure compositions. Her study of earlier art helped shape narratives in which gesture and the relationships among figures carry much of the meaning. Cornelia, Mother of the Gracchi presents a Roman subject through an encounter centered on motherhood and the value placed on children. Self-portraits and commissioned likenesses reveal another part of her practice, developed through patrons and artistic circles in Britain and Italy.