The document provides biographical information on several notable women artists from the Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, and Neoclassical periods, including Hildegard of Bingen, Properzia de Rossi, Levina Teerlinc, Caterina van Hemessen, Sofonisba Anguissola, Lavinia Fontana, Artemisia Gentileschi, and Angelica Kauffmann. It describes their backgrounds, artistic training and styles, major works, and accomplishments within the patriarchal society and institutions of their time periods.
The document discusses the High Renaissance period from 1495-1520 in Italy, characterized by developments in perspective, anatomy, classicism, harmony, and realistic details. It encourages the idea of the "artist-genius" and elevated the status of visual artists. The foremost artistic centers were Florence and Rome, and the foremost artists were Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, and Michelangelo. The document then focuses on Leonardo da Vinci, noting he aspired to understand nature and produced famous works like the Last Supper and Mona Lisa.