The chessboard hides secrets only a woman dared to paint.
An illuminating examination of Sofonisba Anguissola's iconic masterpiece as a window into the artist's full oeuvre while painting a detailed picture of Sofonisba's journey and the world she lived in to become one of the most accomplished female artists of her time. At a time when women were typically regarded as objects or madonnas to be represented in art, Sofonisba Anguissola (1532/5-1625) was something very different indeed: a highly respected painter and teacher who interacted with the likes of Michelangelo and Anthony van Dyck, and whose remarkable portraits were enthusiastically sought by many of the most powerful figures of the age. The Chess Game by Sofonisba is a remarkable group portrait of three of her sisters and a maid. It is widely considered to be one of her most compelling and innovative artworks: a painting whose many subtle levels of meaning offer a fascinating window on Sofonisba, her family, and contemporary 16th-century values.
Direction
Burton treats a single painting like a crime scene worth investigating.
Cinematography
Gorgeous close-ups that make 500-year-old paint feel alive.
Director
Howard Burton
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Sofonisba was invited to Spain as Philip II's court painter, a position virtually unheard of for a woman. She painted the royal family for over a decade.
The chess game itself was scandalous subject matter—depicting women engaged in intellectual competition, not virtue or beauty, was radical for 1555.
US
