This portrait by Robusti is a self-reflection with a touch of the late Venetian Renaissance, when artists embraced new innovations and flourishing trades, which led to the development of cultural patronage. Also, this self-portrait of the artist is considered one of her most celebrated works. Further, it is considered that this painting was made in self-accomplishment by the artist. And this portrait challenges the image of women as a passive element on canvas, rather reflecting the intellectual side of them in a very organised manner cum representation. So, now here in the painting, Marietta could be seen in a frontal seated position with a three-quarter pose where she admires the viewers directly. Further, her expressions reflect a self-aware woman with professional dignity and appearance. And her left hand could be seen resting over the keyboard of a spinet or harpsichord, most probably. This reflects another aspect of her personality as a musician, along with being an artist. Furthermore, she could be seen holding a sheet of musical notes, which are considered to be inscribed with a madrigal. The madrigal was considered part of quite sophisticated secular music, most common among the elite class during that period. Beyond that, when one looks at her attire, she has been rendered wearing a very elegant dress which has detailed pleats. Her dressing acts as a symbol of refinement, along with purity and fine virtue. Also, in the painting, Robusti could be seen wearing a pearl necklace, which could be considered a sign of nobility and chastity together. Lastly, the background of the composition has been rendered with dark coloured curtains, which highlight the portrait and eliminate all distractions. So, this contrast of dark background with bright attire figures enhances the ultimate presence of Robusti. And one could also analyse that the portrait has not been idealised to its extremes. Also, fine brushstrokes work could easily be identified at first glance. Therefore, this self-portrait of Robusti could be considered as an ultimate testament to the artistic skills of the artist, which are rendered with fine precision.
This self portrait of Marietta Robusti represents one of the finest examples of art during European Renaissance and captures the key essences of the prevalent painting style of the period- three dimensional realism, contrasting use of light and shade, anatomical accuracy, resemblance of symmetry and balance - all features which reflect the revival of Greco-Roman classical forms. This painting also shows one more important aspect of the Renaissance, that is, the inclusion of secular themes as subjects of artworks as opposed to the dominance religious or sacred themes in the early middle ages Europe. Apart from the flowing, fine brush strokes, bright use of colours to give of a realistic effect and the attempt at creating high contrast using light and dark colour palettes, this portrait also gives a glimpse into the societal norms of the period. The self depiction of Robusti as seated beside a keyboard of a piano with a musical instead of the tools of the painter (which she was) reflects the patriarchal nature of the 16th century Venitian society, with the musical instrument used as a tool to stress on idealized homemaking- a glimpse of intense societal pressure on female. Moreover, her dressing in the picture, apart from the mark of belonging to the upper class nobility, also represents the societal construct of female chastity and virtue which dictated their lives. Also, Robusti's self portrait grabs attention to the lesser known world of female artists during the Renaissance who were quite few compared to their male counterpart- again reinforcing the patriarchal nature the contemporary European society.
