Many of Artemisia Gentileschi's paintings depict strong heroines. The talented artist is called the first feminist in the world of fine art. In the 17th century, she completely ignored the social norms established for women. The subjects in her paintings were distinguished by a deep emotional transmission. Artemisia Gentileschi was a true virtuoso of chiaroscuro. She is ranked among the first artists whose works are based on biblical and mythological subjects.
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Childhood
Artemisia was born on July 8, 1593 in Rome. Her father was the painter Orazio Gentileschi. The mother of a twelve-year-old girl died during the birth of another child. Her father took Artemisia to his workshop, where she mixed paints, created sketches and posed for her parent.
The seventeen-year-old artist made her debut with the painting "Susanna and the Elders", created according to the biblical story. On it you can see a naked girl and two old men peeping at her.
Rapist teacher
Artemisia studied with the artist Agostino Tassi, who fell in love with her. He followed the girl and felt jealous when she talked to other men. As a result, it came to the rape of Orazio's daughter, who decided to seek justice in court.
Artemisia was examined by doctors. She was even tortured to get a sincere confession of adultery from her. The judges sentenced Agostino, according to which he had to leave Rome, but the rapist remained in the city thanks to the intervention of his influential patrons.
Artemisia painted the painting "Judith beheading Holofernes", depicting the main character with her face, and her victim with the appearance of Agostino.
Difficult family life
Orazio's daughter became the wife of the artist Pierantonio Stiattesi. They settled in Florence, where Artemisia's paintings were in great demand among the Medici family.
A 23-year-old girl became the first woman accepted into the Academy of Drawing Arts. The artist had five children, four of whom died in infancy. Only her daughter Prudentia managed to survive. Artemisia had a crisis in her relationship with her husband. She took a lover – Florentine nobleman Francesco Maria Marigny. Stiattesi was forced to take his family to Florence, where his wife continued to paint and learned to read and write. The outstanding scientist Galileo Galilei corresponded with her. Artemisia's husband abandoned the family in 1622. A single mother worked in Naples. Local aristocrats flooded her with orders.
Working with the father
In the late 1630s, Gentileschi found herself in London at the invitation of King Charles I. There she was reunited with her father. Artemisia and Orazio were engaged in painting the ceiling of the Greenwich Queens House. After the death of her parent, the artist lived and worked in Naples, where she contracted the plague and died around 1656.
Famous paintings
Artemisia Gentileschi has many paintings based on biblical stories and myths. Many critics call the most famous work of the medieval Italian artist "Judith beheading Holofernes".
Also among the best works of Artemisia are:
- "Bathsheba's Bathing";
- "Mary Magdalene in ecstasy";
- "Susanna and the elders."
Saturated colors and chiaroscuro contrasts prevail on the canvases of the artist. They are characterized by a dramatic composition. They stand out with emotional anguish. Gentileschi's paintings depict strong and courageous women – the Queen of Sheba, Cleopatra, Lucretia.
Interesting facts
Artemisia is the heroine of the books and the movie
In the mid-1940s, the Italian writer Anna Banti worked on the novel "Artemisia", the main character of which was an outstanding artist. It was created in the form of diary entries and has become incredibly successful.
In addition, Gentileschi wrote about the difficult life:
- Susan Vreeland (USA);
- Alexandra Lapierre (France);
- Sally Clark (Canada);
- Wendy Wasserstein (USA).
French film director Agnes Merle shot the biopic "Artemisia" with Valentina Cervi in the title role.
Auction records
At the Sotheby's auction, Gentileschi's painting "Mary Magdalene in Ecstasy" went for $ 1.2 million, and the Paris auction house Drouot bailed out for the sale of "Self-Portrait in the image of St. Catherine's" more than 2.3 million dollars.
Important information!
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