Artemisia Gentileschi Essay

1589 Words4 Pages

Life, Tragedy, and Art: Artemisia Gentileschi Artemisia Gentileschi was born in Rome, Italy on July 8, 1593. Her parents were Orazio Gentileschi and Prudentia Montone. She was the couples only child. Her father was a notable painter and she Artemisia wanted to be just like him. She studied painting under the watchful eye of Orazio. Her father also enjoyed working with her and loved watching her bloom in her own artistic abilities. Artemisia became an Italian Baroque painter. The Baroque style was used to show motion to emphasize drama and tension.
Orazio trained his daughter and even introduced her Carravagio, whom helped develop her style by demonstrating light and shadow in her paintings. After years of studying with her father, …show more content…

She received the attention of Michelangelo the Younger. He is actually Michelangelo’s biological nephew. The Younger “favored her and paid her well for her work on the life of Michelangelo for the Casa Buonoratti” (arthistoryarchive.org). The Grand Duke Cosimo II of the Medici Family also supported her work and she even formed a deep friendship with the famed astronomer Galileo. The House of Medici was a powerful family in Florence. They were a very wealthy family. After more reading, it is suggested that the grand duchess of the Medici family did not like Artemisia. She was worried about status and reputation and Artemisia had neither of those. I have to wonder though, Artemisia promised to paint Hercules for the Duke and never followed through with her promise. Is this where the relationship was derailed? Either way, the family still supported the arts and they even backed Donatello and Ghiberti. With all of her connections in Florence and her career thriving, tragedy struck once again. “She ultimately was forced to flee Florence due to mounting debt and unfinished obligations” (thiswritelife.wordpress.com). Things were looking bleak for the artist at this point in her life. Struggle seemed to follow her like a black cloud. Judith Beheading Holofernes made me feel the emotion that Artemisia felt when thinking about Tassi. It was of a way for …show more content…

This painting made me cry. After knowing her story, this meaning of this painting is so apparent and distressing. The biblical story of Susanna says that two elders were infatuated with her beauty and cornered her in a garden one day. To save their skin, they lied in court and said that they had seen her lay with a man that was not her husband. They had been lying. Daniel convinced the court that the two men were bearing false witness and both men were put to death. The turmoil that this young woman went through is parallel to what happened to Artemisia when she was a young woman. You can see the pain and confusion on Susanna’s face and the condemning judgement that the two judges are casting upon her. Susanna is nude with a simple sheet draped over one leg and her breasts are exposed, it makes her appear vulnerable. I think she chose this biblical heroine for this painting because it helped depict the tragedy of her own life. She was only 17 years old when she painted

Open Document