Angelica, Paintress of Minds

by Miranda Miller

Angelica Kaufman is so successful that when she comes to England as a young woman in 1766 a word is Angelicamad . ‘Miller’s intricate fictions are lit by the dark flicker of a strong and original imagination.’ – Hilary Mantel This sparky, true life novel tells the life story of a woman who battled misogyny to become one of the greatest artists of the Enlightenment Period. After fifteen triumphant years in London, she flees to Italy following the anti-Catholic Gordon Riots. In Rome, as an old lady, a lively young artist and model names Lucia is Angelica’s guest. And she’s pregnant, ridded with the scandal Angelica has been trying to avoid all her life. She is the girl I trained myself not to be. Men can do as they like, but women risk losing everything. In her studio, Angelica relives her journey from a poor background to international fame. She paints her friends (Antonio Canova, Germaine de Stael, Emma Hamilton and Goethe among others) and draws us into her fascinating past. Angelica, Paintress of Minds tells of a gifted and powerful woman with a kind heart.

Genres: Historical Fiction

294 pages, Paperback

Published June 13, 2023

Reviews

[Star · Rating 2 out of 5]

If I was not as good as a man, they would force me to be a woman, to make cakes and babies. She viewed marriage as slavery and an end to her career.
When Goethe, who has very sharp eyes, saw this first self-portrait, he said, 'There is a man standing behind that child with some sinister power over her.' he was right. In the first version I painted my father looking over my shoulder as he always did. Later, as my confidence grew, his power waned, I blocked him out. There is no room for other people in a self-portrait.
Mama was musical, but there was no music in her speaking voice, a nasal monotone full of reproach and disappointment.
'But what is to become of her?' said Mama. 'She is neither fish nor fowl, girl nor boy. Men don't like clever women.'
Her ambition was greater than her sentimentality.
She was the only female student at the Accademia del Disegno. She befriended Benjamin West and dressed up as his brother to attend forbidden Anatomy classes.
Whilst in London, Joshua Reynolds advised her that it is not the heart nor the eyes but the mind which the painter of genius wishes to address.
Love confounded her. It made men & women foolish, humiliated them, led to hot, groping shame, to the slavery of marriage, and the degradation of childbirth. To be in love - to fall into that morass of sticky, messy, hysterical feeling - was clearly a mistake. Women in operas did it and look what happened to them. A husband was like a label on a bottle of medicine; without it the content were suspect, but with it came reassurance and wholesome guidance.

[Caroline Gill · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Angelica, Paintress of Minds” reads as a journal, delving first into the life and ambitions of a young artist - whose only struggle is that she is a woman in a male- dominated era. The story entices one in, as if reading her journal secretly and hoping that she will succeed in her endeavours to prove her worth and talent. Torn between family loyalty, prudence of the age, and sheer passion for her art, we see her struggle to succeed.
As her story unfolds, the journal of her life changes in its opinions, attitudes and character. We see the tremendous impact of religion and politics, also of societal norms and secrecy of life in her times. The historical banter does drag on somewhat in the middle of the story if one is not familiar with all the figures and personalities, yet it serves to underscore the vast network and lifestyle of artists in Rome in its heyday.
The story winds down to a slower pace with the closing of her life, drawing beautiful parallels between herself and the faithful few that serve her to the end of her life. She is redeemed from her youthful errors by her kindness to these people, and we are left feeling as if we had read the life story of a strong, beloved family matriarch.
An enjoyable read for lovers of art, history and the psychology of people.

[Alyson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was not the sort of book I'd have chosen myself to read but being given a review copy I was happy to read it. I knew and know very little about Angelica Kauffman before starting the story and I'm not sure I know that much more now.
I found her early years of moving around with her father were interesting but each chapter appeared to lurch into a different place without much to hold the tale together. The later half of the book, in Rome where Angelica has moved for her later years is far more drawn out and written in more detail, yet is less about her and more about her friendship with a waif she takes in. This may have a been a device to reflect Angelica's life but it deflected from the real Angelica.
Sadly the story was too choppy and detached for me to gain a real knowledge or appreciation of Angelica's ability and achievements which were undoubtedly huge and courageous at a time when women were very much second class citizens.
The best parts of the book for me were the details of daily life - food on the tables, dress styles, and descriptions of the carnival. Well researched and deftly incorporated.

[Leslie Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Miller's Angelica is a warm, fascinating and deeply professional woman who makes her way against the odds in a world dominated by male artists. Meticulously researched, vividly painted, the novel takes you into the eighteenth century as few others have done. We see Angelica falling in love, being deceived, dealing with an erratic, selfish father who she nonetheless dearly loves, holding her own among the men, negotiating the limitations society placed on woman artists at that time.
We meet the great men of that time, including Joshua Reynolds and Goethe, experience the terror of the anti-Catholic Gordon riots, rub shoulders with minor royalty, and walk the streets of London and Rome in particular.
I so enjoyed this book, and was deeply sorry to part company with Angelica, who had begun to feel like a personal friend.

[Sonia Fletcher · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was very excited to read this book as a review copy! Unfortunately, it did not live up to expectations. It was an interesting read at times, but I found some chapters too sort and would skip over parts I would quite like to read. Once I got half way through the book I seemed to find that it had skipped to Angelica being old and without her husband who I didn’t feel as if I knew, even though he was supposedly a big part of her life. I feel that this book just needs more detail as I feel as if I know very little of Angelica even though it is written in first person.

[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This enjoyable and illuminating fictionalised autobiography of artist Angelica Kaufmann is a must read for anyone interested in art, particularly women’s art, social history or just women’s lives in general. It’s an imaginative and imagined account of Kaufmann’s life but rooted in meticulous research, and is a vivid and atmospheric account of her trajectory as an artist. A great read.

[K · Rating 5 out of 5]

The life of Angelica Kaufman an 18th century artist, one of the original founders of the Royal Academy and friend of Joshua Reynolds, Goethe, amongst others. This book is written as an autobiography and follows her through Europe to London and finally to Rome. recounting her life through the portraits she paints and her friendships. Excellent book whether you have an interest in art or not.