Isabela Araujo was crowned queen of the Aran Islands (Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao and Vanuatu in the Caribbean). She was a formidable woman, with a sultry beauty, who could turn on a charm to please even the most demanding suitor! In her career as a national and international artist, she created many masterpieces that are still popular and sought after today. Her paintings also won many awards at international exhibitions and were selected for preservation in the National Art Gallery of Venezuela. However, her greatest accomplishment may have been in writing, and her novels have enjoyed great success in recent years. Her international travels also brought her to many countries, and even to Spain, where she experienced a profound respect and admiration.
Although the exact dates of her marriage are not known, it is assumed that she married Joamete Marrone in 1680. Although her husband was not a royal official, he was in deed the supreme commander of the island. Because of their position, his marriage to her was seen as a sign of an alliance between them, and it was not long before the two took each other as a spouse. After the death of her husband, Isabela Arojo moved to Aruba, where her painting The Court of Aran Islands was featured in many of the great painters’ guilds of the time. It was here that she began a professional relationship with Donato Maranto, a famous Venetian artist, and the two quickly became pen pals and lovers.
As her career progressed, she decided to concentrate on painting, and traveled to many countries, which gave her a variety of subjects and allowed her to create many works of art. However, it was her status as a Queen that truly contributed to her artistic success and enabled her to move into a profession as a teacher. In addition to her many paintings of the court of Aran, she produced The Court of Aran and The Courts of Genovia. She also became a well-known figure in literature, writing several works on Italian topics and even wrote a novel entitled La Rosa. While many artists have attempted to cover the subject of Queen Isabella’s life, few have managed to do so successfully. Her many achievements, as well as her simple, elegant style of painting have made her one of the most renowned modern artists of all time.