Catherine Hall-van den Elsen studied Spanish art at La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia. She completed her MA and PhD on the life and work of Luisa Roldán.
"In addition to highlighting her considerable skill in sculpting
polychrome wood and terracotta sculptures, Catherine Hall-van den
Elsen delves into 17th-century Spanish society, painting a picture
of what life would have been like for a woman of the era, and the
challenges faced by women artists in particular."
--Sarah Cascone "Artnet News" (12/24/2021 12:00:00 AM)
"Makes an important contribution to the existing bibliography . . .
and to raising the profile of Roldán's enchanting terracottas,
which deserve a catalogue all of their own."
--Nicola Jennings "Apollo" (11/1/2021 12:00:00 AM)
"While all this information has been noted by historians, Art Daily
reports that the new book by Catherine Hall-van den Elsen brings
the artist's "exquisitely crafted" work to life. That's because the
historian doesn't just recount the facts of Roldan's life, but she
also "gorgeously illustrated" them with 81 full-color illustrations
of the artist's sculptures [that] "reveals how talented" she
was."--Joan Altabe "Blasting News" (7/21/2021 12:00:00 AM)
"Catherine Hall has produced a book which is a pleasure to read,
superbly illustrated, incorporating fascinating details about the
society in which Luisa worked, including the challenges she faced
as a woman artist. At the same time this monograph is rooted in
serious scholarship, discussing the process of some of the
commissions, as well as the materials and techniques lying behind
the creation of these extraordinary works of art. This is both a
highly readable and delightful book."
--Marjorie Trusted, Honorary Senior Research Fellow, Victoria and
Albert Museum
"This lavishly illustrated volume provides an invaluable
introduction to the figure of Luisa Roldán, a major sculptor of the
late seventeenth-century, whose importance scholars have only
recently recognized. Drawing on her own extensive archival research
and decades of first-hand study of the sculpture, Catherine
Hall-van den Elsen offers a sensitive analysis of the works while
also setting them effectively in their historical context. Hall-van
den Elsen thus presents a nuanced account which reveals the
challenges that Luisa faced and largely overcame to establish
herself as a prominent artist in a society where few women achieved
comparable success. More than the story of one remarkable sculptor,
this book also offers insights into the challenges women confronted
in seventeenth-century Spain and the artistic production of the
period."
--Patrick Lenaghan, Curator, Hispanic Society Museum and Library
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