Dreams, visions, madness

Artemisia Gentileschi (1593-1656)

It is difficult to shorten the life of one of history’s most famous painters into just a few paragraphs, yet at the same time it is difficult to write any at all which would do her justice. In simple terms, Artemisia Gentileschi was revolutionary. Unfortunately, she was also disregarded in many ways due to the hardships she faced in such a bigoted environment. Regardless, she is now a figure so many look up to for her tremendous accomplishments.

Born as the eldest daughter to artist Orazio Gentileschi (1563-1639), Artemisia became involved with art at a young age. This, however, became a setback in itself as 17-year-old Gentileschi’s first painting was met with cynicism. Many believed her work was actually that of her father’s. Artemisia’s works were very unique during her time as they contained refreshing - and shocking - realism. While heavily inspired by Caravaggio (1571-1610), Gentileschi would not present the females in her paintings with both weak and constantly elegant forms. Instead, with her paintings Susanna and the Elders (1610) and Judith Slaying Holofernes (1614-20) being prime examples, she would display them with strength and emotion behind their actions. As it can be seen, Susanna and the Elders is depicted in a way in which the event would have played out - traumatic for Susanna.

Her work was often considered a footnote in Gentileschi’s life due to the rape she suffered from a murderous man that had been trusted as her tutor. After taking him to trial, Gentileschi endured both humiliation and torture in order for some form of justice. Justice which she never received. Instead, many people dismissed her because of this. Today, she is regarded as a feminist icon and the epitome of feminine strength. While writing this I wanted to emphasise her artwork, and less on her trials. However, when analysing her life’s work, one comes to the realization that these two undoubtedly coincide. When looking at her work, you will notice how she touched on the unity of women and their realism. Women are not always delicate, much less so when they have a knife to a man’s throat. Artemisia Gentileschi was a talented artist to say the least and a Baroque painter who should certainly not be forgotten.