In the myth of Pygmalion, the sculptor was a man and the creature a young lady. Ever since, there has not been much room for female sculptors. Nonetheless, women have never given up struggling for the recognition of their art.
This documentary recounts the fate of the first female sculptors as well as their works, that are finally being acknowledged today. It was in Italy in the 16th century, when the first woman was celebrated for her skills. Properzia De Rossi took classes in sculpture and anatomy at the university of Bologna, which was the only one in Europe accepting women. She was known for her ability to carve the infinitely small. A century later, Luisa Roldan’s works, daughter of the famous sculptor of the same name, were so popular that she was named court sculptor. One of her artworks, the Virgin with a weeping face, is worshipped every year in the streets of Seville in Holy Week. This one-off is an invitation to reflect on the role of women in jobs that have been strictly associated to men, as though women lacked talent, and to make the viewers aware of the discriminations.
