Look at the self-portraits of Gentileschi, Leyster, and Rembrandt.What do these portraits tell us about the position of women artists during 17th...

Though the scope of this comparison is very narrow, if you
look at examples of self portraits of Artemisia Gentileschi and Judith Leyster compared
to the self portrait(s) of Rembrandt, there is one very obvious difference.  The women
paint themselves painting, whereas Rembrandt paints his portrait as
if he is sitting for himself.

When we think of the
so-called "great" artists of the 17th and 18th centuries, we most likely think of men. 
This is not by accident.  Historically speaking, painting, sculpting, and even music, as
a form of both creative expression and income was a male-dominated
part of society.  Perhaps these women, knowing full well that they were unique as
females in such a role, wanted to be remembered as artists
specifically, and so they painted themselves at work.  Art, in general, was considered
"beyond the scope" of a woman's talent or intelligence at that time.  Any woman artist
from this time period was a revolutionary and could have even been considered a
pre-mature feminist, in a way.