Description
In The Lone Snake, Lisa Vihos brings Renaissance artist Sofonisba Anguissola to life as a woman yearning for recognition in a world not ready for her. When Anguissola’s life intersects with a young poet, the aging artist finds she has more than just the story of her life to share. Through Sofonisba’s memoir, readers journey with the artist to her early years in Cremona, to Rome where she studies with Michelangelo, to her time at the Spanish Court, and eventually out to sea, where she meets the love of her life under a starry sky. Vihos’ portrait of life in the 16th century is a rich tapestry that blends art history, romance, and verse to tell a timeless tale of what it means to create.
Advance Praise for The Lone Snake
“This lyrical reimagining of Sofonisba Anguissola’s extraordinary life envisions the Renaissance artist as a gentle feminist pathbreaker, forever expanding opportunities for herself and those she loved, whether in her native Cremona, the court of Philip II of Spain, or her adopted city of Genoa. Rich with historical characters real and invented, The Lone Snake champions the transformational power of art.” –Rebecca Albiani, independent art historian, creator of the Frye Art History Lecture Series
“Lisa Vihos’s The Lone Snake is a tender-hearted book that captures the life and work of a stunning—and poorly known—Renaissance painter, Sofonisba Anguissola. Vihos roots Anguissola’s struggle to make her way in the male-dominated art world in the artist’s warm and nontraditional family life, painting a vibrant picture of her pathbreaking existence.” –Jennifer Morales, author of Meet Me Halfway: Milwaukee Stories
“This narrative loops, lifts, and cinches into a warm knowing we all carry, about legacy, loss, and love. Vihos deftly carries our emotions across time, cultures, and the resolve of devotion.” –Dasha Kelly Hamilton, author of Almost Crimson and poet laureate of Wisconsin, 2021-2023
“In The Lone Snake, Lisa Vihos celebrates the inspiring power of late Renaissance painter Sofonisba Anguissola, a woman determined to follow her dream. Sofonisba transforms old stories into new realities for herself and for others. Full of “joyful surprises,” The Lone Snake transforms our understanding of the past and bolsters our hope for the future.” –Margaret Rozga, author of Holding My Selves Together: New & Selected Poems and poet laureate of Wisconsin, 2019-2020
“Meticulously researched and beautifully written, this novel in the form of a memoir reads as if experienced firsthand by the author herself. We walk right alongside the painter Sofonisba Anguissola as she makes her way in the male-dominated art world of Renaissance Italy and Spain.” –Chris Keledjian, editor and playwright
“The work of the sixteenth-century painter Sofonisba Anguissola whose career was resurrected during the feminist revolution of several decades ago, has since been admired primarily for her intimate and inventive self-portraits. Building on that phenomenon, Lisa Vihos’s vibrant, empathetic novel offers a beautiful and reflective account of the artist’s life and career. The Lone Snake is a brilliant self-portrait in words of the woman and the artist.” –Joel Isaacson, painter and professor emeritus of art history, University of Michigan
Marianne Helm –
Our book club just completed discussion about this amazing woman’s journey through the patriarchal art world of the 1600’s. Sofinisba Anguissola’s life story is told through a fictional scribe, Paola, who, through regular interviews, becomes part of the story herself. The two women become vibrantly alive in these pages and readers will be cheering for them both by story’s end. Love stories mingle with art history and patriarchal truths of the time that women faced resulting in a deeply satisfying story of art, relationships, sacrifices, successes. Vihos has done an amazing job of developing her subject having travelled to Genoa, Cremona and Milan to complete her research. A poet herself, Vihos includes beautiful poetry to tell Sofinisba’s story in yet another way. If you love art, history, poetry, love stories, heroines…this book has it all.
Laura Klemm –
I found the book engaging from beginning to end. It was a very enjoyable read. The way the author developed the characters kept me wanting to read more and see what happened to them next.
Mary Peschke –
This highly readable book gave me a new perspective on art development through the ages and within an individual developing their own artistic abilities. I also gained an appreciation of the talent and perseverance of a woman entering into a world of art mainly dominated by men and the nuances of her own creativity.
Amy Celentano (verified owner) –
I am so glad that the author persevered all those years to write “The Lone Snake”! It was such a joy to read. Amid troubling contemporary news stories, I was able to escape to Italy through the delightful rendition of daily life and artistic ventures in the 17th century. I felt like Paola on page 147 when she asks Sofi “Can you take me somewhere far away today?” and the response “I most certainly can.” testifies that as the author and poet (WOW btw) were able to do exactly that!
Larry Katin –
I Loved the book. It gave such insight into the life of a Renaissance painter and into her creative process. What a remarkable life she lived! She is depicted with warmth and admiration without being overly dramatic. The characters remain with with you long after your reading is finished.
Lisa A. Lehmann –
It was hard to put this novel down—I loved it! It’s a fascinating story, based on a real woman artist born in 1532 during the Renaissance. Vihos’ writing is lovely, the settings in Italy and Spain feel so real (the author visited the sites), the supporting characters she created are wonderful. The author’s heroic crown sonnets, all fifteen, are a work of art alone and organically spring from the story. I had fun looking up the actual paintings as described in the book. IRL, Sofonisba Anguissola lived to be 93 and was the first woman artist to achieve a level of fame. She met and was taught by Michelangelo and worked for Spain’s Philip II, stories included in the novel.
Tad Phippen Wente –
The Lone Snake: The Story of Sofonisba Anguissola, by Lisa Vihos, shares the life of a rare woman negotiating dreams of becoming a painter in a world of men during the Italian Renaissance.
I was first struck by the language, the steady story quality that pulled me into the 16th century and delivered Sofonisba’s voice and thoughts so effectively that I still feel I have met her. She is just a child in the first chapters, discovering art while playing with her sister. Her father takes note.
Woven in an exciting time of new artists, including Michelangelo, the story often shows us the creative process and how artists, poets, and composers were valued at that time. Descriptions of social events and studio visits are as lively as Gatsby’s parties.
Vihos highlights the challenges for women in the arts that Sofonisba Anguissola overcame. Limited opportunities for women then far eclipse those of today, yet feel near and relevant. I was surprised at how far we have not come in those several hundred years. The women’s thinking is made clear, and the men who helped them were memorable agents of equity. Characters grow vivid through the cultural descriptions of marriages and struggles, deaths and celebrations. Relationships and love stories kept me in suspense. Once I started reading, the book was hard to put down.
This trip to Italy provides us with an idea of what the Renaissance must have felt like, especially when we are seated with Sofonisba in her sun-filled garden.
Ronnie Hess –
Lisa Vihos’ novel, The Lone Snake, was an unexpected pleasure. An elegant, even gentle narrative takes readers back to the Italian Renaissance, into its artistic circles as well as its people’s daily lives. The amount of research into the life of artist Sofonisba Anguissola is impressive, making this a work both of fact and lively imagination by a talented poet, novelist, art historian and activist. You won’t forget this book or the artist who inspired it.
Tom Jacobson (verified owner) –
The Lone Snake is a story of warm sensuality that transports the reader to an Italy of bright colors and invigorating sunshine. The gentle tone of the novel echoes the grace of the main characters, thoughtful, self-effacing and engaging people who live in their own time but whose emotions touch our hearts today. The intelligence of the characters supports the narrative structure, which alternates between memoir and the circumstances of the memoir’s creation, a device that propels both stories. The details of life in Italy and Spain hundreds of years ago is richly illuminated, including the science of paint: cochineal insects for the color carmine and lapis lazuli for ultramarine. History and heart, a beautiful combination!
Jean Nordlund –
In her new novel The Lone Snake, Lisa Vihos colorfully portrays both pastoral and noble life in 17th century Italy, capturing Renaissance customs and traditions, but narrating this gently imaginative story through the words of the unconventional feminist artist about whom it is written, Sofonisba Anguissola. The narration of this story is shared with Sofi’s scribe, her family members, and her art student, adding great intimacy to the telling of the tale, while showing these friends and family, too, hope to live roles less encumbered by society’s norms. Vihos should be congratulated for the heroic crown of sonnets she includes, so appropriate to the vision and times of this artist. Anguissola’s artwork has only recently received the acclaim it had once achieved during her lifetime.
Signe Jorgenson –
Full disclosure: I worked on this book as both a developmental editor and copyeditor, so keep that in mind as you read my review.
I enjoyed this fictionalized account of Sofonisba Anguissola’s life. Lisa Vihos has artfully woven historical people and events with fictionalized characters and happenings. The result is a beautiful and layered story that explores some of life’s greatest themes: love, loss, family, and the complexity of human relationships. It also explores art, religion, gender, and what it means to exist outside the confines of societal expectation. Highly recommend!
Sheri Saperstein (verified owner) –
I loved this novel. It is so easy to just look at a painting as an image, and quickly assess your reaction. Reading Sofonisba Anguissola’s story, I reawakened to the marvel that a painting is not a ready-made image, but a dialogue between artist and subject, artist and audience, and artist and herself. Such a pleasure, this story is!
Kelly D. Holstine –
“Until today, I have never been asked to prove my existence.” I can tell a lot about a book from the first sentence. And this one is a gem. I was immediately pulled in and that feeling never stopped. Vihos’ masterfully engages us with her poetic prose and she immediately makes us feel both curious about and connected to her main character, Sofonisba. She is written in such a holistic and well-rounded manner that it makes me feel like I can both relate to Sofonisba AND learn from her. I am inspired by her unapologetic authenticity. You will want to read this book. Perhaps more than once!
Sylvia Cavanaugh –
This is an amazing fictional memoir about a female artist who must prove her existence in more than one way. Although women of the sixteenth century faced many constraints, Lisa Vihos lets Sofonisba Anguissola’s brilliance and personality shine through obstacles. Vihos shows how women such as Anguissola could even turn restrictions to their advantage. There are other women, too, who populate this story, affirming the power of female friendship and artistic inspiration born of like experience. Lisa Vihos brings this rarified time to life in all its complexity in this beautifully written novel.