In a studiolo behind a church, six women gather to perform an act that is restorative, powerful, and illegal. They paint.

Under the tutelage of Leonardo da Vinci, the six show talent and drive equal to that of any man, but in Renaissance Florence they must hide their skills, or risk the scorn of the city. A commission to paint a fresco in Santo Spirito is announced and Florence’s countless artists each seek the fame and glory this lucrative job will provide.

Viviana, a noblewoman freed from a terrible marriage and now free to pursue her artistic passions in secret, sees a potential life-altering opportunity for herself and her fellow female artists. The women first speak to Lorenzo de’ Medici himself, and finally, submit a bid for the right to paint it.

But the church will not stand for women painting, especially not in a house of worship. The city is not ready to consider women in positions of power, and in Florence, artists wield tremendous power. Even the women themselves are hesitant; the attention they bring upon themselves will disrupt their families, and put them in danger. All the while, Viviana grows closer to Sansone, her soldier lover, who is bringing her joy that she never knew with her deceased husband.

Power and passion collide in Donna Russo Morin's 'The Competition', a sumptuous historical novel of shattering limitations, one brushstroke at a time.

Literary