Chloe Bazlen ’18

I graduated from Scripps in 2018 with a double major in Art History and English. My interest in feminist theory, undoubtedly fostered at Scripps, led me to focus on feminist art history. I am passionate about uncovering archival research on women artists and rediscovering their forgotten lives.

During my time at Scripps, I was a Mellon Undergraduate Pre-Thesis Research Fellow, which enabled me to do two months of research in Florence with the Medici Archive Project. I worked alongside Dr. Sheila Barker, doing archival research on Artemisia Gentileschi. This research led to my undergraduate thesis on the only known biography written about Artemisia contemporary to her lifetime, which exists as an unpublished manuscript in the Archivio di Stato in Florence.

After graduation, I received the Gabrielle Jungels-Winkler Scholarship to study for my master’s degree at The Courtauld in London, and chose the special option “Early Modern Print History in Italy, France, and Spain.” Studying under the tutelage of Dr. Sheila McTighe, I became fixated with print history, particularly when I realized how little had been written about women printmakers. During the degree I researched women printmakers from the 16th to the 18th century who produced extremely varied outputs, from art prints to printed embroidery patterns. Laura Piranesi, who etched views of Rome for the Grand Tour souvenir market, became the focus of my master’s dissertation. Though she was the daughter of well-known artist Giovanni Battista Piranesi, very little had been written on her, which allowed me to make many archival discoveries and correct her known oeuvre.

Since graduating from The Courtauld, I have been working in The Courtauld’s library, as well as the Witt and Conway Image Libraries. The academic setting has allowed me to continue to pursue my research passions, and in spring 2020, I will be lecturing alongside Dr. Sheila McTighe and Dr. Giulia Weston on The Courtauld’s Showcasing Art History program, “From Caravaggio to Garzoni.” My lectures will be on women printmakers and early modern women artists including Isabella Parasole, Laura Piranesi, and Giovanna Garzoni.

I am loving living in London and look forward to wherever my next steps bring me, whether that is a doctoral program or further employment in the arts or university sector.

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