Artemisia Gentileschi's Painting Analysis

Artemisia was one of the first women artists to have an international recognition. However it did not come easy because she was born in a time period when women were not considered equal to men. Being an artist was not something a woman was supposed to do. Although her talent was much greater than most male artists of her era, she was brushed aside just because of her gender. “Gentileschi’s gestures are far more expansive than many contemporary or later self-portraits by male artists of themselves working in oil paint” (Chare, 2009). However, because of her sex she was ignored deliberately. During 16th century male artists were considered to be specialists. Female artists were nothing but insignificant exhibitions. Men were the decision

She had a youthful uneasiness drawing this painting. When all other male painters during that time portrayed Susanna as flirtatious, Artemisia looked at her with a female viewpoint and depicted Susanna as helpless and startled. This was her reflection on her own life during the time period about how she felt in the world of men: timid and distressed. However her perspective changed at the age of 19 when she was raped by her teacher who was also her fathers’ coworker: Agostino Tassi. At trial, Tassi humiliated her by saying that she slept with many other men before him. Gentileschi had to go through torture and examination by midwifes of her virginity to prove that her testimony was valid. Tassi further humiliated her by saying that Artemisia was not a skillful artist and did not even understand the laws of perspective. Finally, Tassi was found guilty when a former friend of his testified that Tassi confined to him about his exploits with Artemisia. Soon after trial Artemisia married a painter and moved to Florence, where her paintings flourished. The trial changed Artemisia’s life. She was a victim of the male dominant society and an example of how women were