Abstract
During the Italian Renaissance female artists were able to emerge from the confines of the convent and develop their skills in the outside world due to changing attitudes towards women and the heightened status of art. The intelligent and artistically talented woman was seen as a miraculous person and often compared more closely to a man. Due to their extraordinary status, it can be argued that these women behaved similarly to their male counterparts in their search for special consideration and legendary status. This paper will contribute to the scholarly studies surrounding women in the visual arts in Renaissance Italy by analyzing writings, lifestyle, and the method of creation and content of the art, particularly the self-portrait paintings, of these women. Through this analysis it will be revealed that these women used their special status to promote themselves and actively sought recognition and fame like their male predecessors and contemporaries. These women achieved legendary prominence through the careful navigation of their careers, setting a new precedent for women in the arts, laying the foundation for future female artists, and demonstrating that women could be just as capable as men.