Why Some Great Artists Never Married?

Multiple, historically famous artists remained bachelors. Some artists just have a passion for freedom and untethered expression, characteristics that do not align with marriage. They may prefer multiple, less serious relationships throughout their lives. Others live alternative lifestyles make it hard to form serious bonds. Many famous artists remained single and some may claim that this allowed them to pay more attention to their artistic endeavors, carving their place in art history.

1. Raphael

In 1514, Cardinal Medici Bibbiena persuaded Raphael into an engagement with his niece, Maria Bibbiena. Raphael begrudgingly agreed to this, as a favor for his Cardinal friend, but he was in no hurry to seal their vows. Raphael ultimately never married Ms. Bibbiena, who died in 1520 before their wedding could take place.

Raphael never showed further interested in marriage, but he had multiple relationships and the longest and most important with Margherita Luti. Even with this longterm romance, Raphael died a bachelor. The intention of becoming a Cardinal perhaps is the reason that he refused to get married, Giorgio Vasari, claims.

2. Sandro Botticelli

Sandro Botticelli was vehemently opposed to marriage. In an anecdote, Botticelli replied his patron who mentioned marriage that the word caused an awful dream and "struck with grief."

Some speculation that Botticelli's dramatic aversion to marriage could be due to his closeted homosexuality. The Florentine Archives contains a legal charge against him that reads, "Botticelli keeps a boy." This is just speculation though since he was never charged and historians agree that this legal action was a common occurrence between feuding persons.

3. Edvard Munch

Edvard Munch lived a solitary lifestyle influenced by the nihilist philosopher, Hans Jæger. After a traumatic childhood involving the death of his mother and an extremely strict father, Munch chose to live a nomadic lifestyle which included multiple self-imposed exiles. He saw this detachment as necessary for his growth and introspection, which manifested in his pensive art. His artistic style portrays the psyche of the post-modern man, in a self-portrait type manner: lonely, full of anxiety, and existential dread.

This alternative lifestyle made it difficult to cultivate relationships, leaving him a perpetual bachelor. In most of his paintings, Edvard Munch demonstrated negative feelings associated with relationships and helps illuminate how he felt about them: pensive, unsure, and anxious.

4. John Singer Sargent

John Singer Sargent was previously described as restrained, solemn man by past historians but it is now understood that he was more emotionally complex. Sargent maintained a wide circle of friends, both male and female though he never married.

Sargent as the “painter of Jews” he possibly felt a connection with their supposed otherness due to his sexuality. Another painter named Jacques Emile-Blanche said that, though a seemingly sober man, Sargent was “notorious” in Paris and Venice for his scandoulous sex life.

5. Isaac Levitan

Russian mood landscape painter Isaac Levitan lived an emotional existence but never married. He was born in a Jewish family grew up very poor. He became an orphan while studying in art school. Isaac Levitan did have multiple affairs, but his on and off relationship with the older, married painter Sophia Kuvshinnikova was his most significant. Their nontraditional relationship inspired a play by Anton Chekov and almost led to a duel between Levitan and Chekov.