Artemisia Gentileschi Research Paper

Artemisia Gentileschi was born on July 8, 1593 in Rome, Italy. She was born to Prudentia Moore and Orazio Gentileschi, who was a painter himself. Artemisia was introduced to art by her father in his workshop where she worked alongside him. Her father taught her how to draw, mix colors, and paint; which is why their paintings look very similar and makes it hard to distinguish between their art. They were both painters during the Baroque period, and Orazio was friends with the revolutionary Baroque painter Caravaggio. Artemisia was greatly inspired by Caravaggio, and you can see his influences in a lot of her paintings. Artemisia’s life was one tragedy after another, as when she was only 12 years old, she lost her mother. Five years later,

She created it at seventeen years old, which seems hard to believe, but she was an amazing artist. The background story of the painting is that Susanna was the wife of a wealthy Jew who was close friends with many judges and elders in their community. Susanna was a pious and dutifully wife, and when two elders tried to sexually petition her and she rejected them, they took it too court. They accused her of adultery and she was put on trial and subsequently found guilty. However, God sent Daniel to be a lawyer for her and he was able to save Susanna and put the elders to death for false witness. Artemisia’s painting focuses on the part of the story where the elders are propositioning

The work is remarkable for its anatomical correctness and advancement in the color palette. You can see the influence of Michelangelo in her palette, as he was a big influence for her. In this painting, Artemisia takes the perspective of Susanna instead of the perspective of the male gaze, as so many artists do. Looking closely at the faces, you can see the vulnerability and fright in her face, while the elders look over her, leering at her body. Susanna is trapped in a small space, with no hope for escape in this painting, and she is twisting her body to try her hardest to get away from the elders. This painting was created before her rape by Agostino Tassi, and many historians have wondered if the sexual harassment leading up to the rape influenced this painting. As this was her first painting, it brought attention to her as a professional and showed her willingness to experiment with things that many other artists would not. Artemisia Gentileschi is by far the most interesting artist that I have ever learned about. Her story is one of pain and suffering, and yet she was still able to persevere and create masterpieces of art that have lived on. I think that’s why I like her so much, because it kind of gives you hope. That even though you go through hard things, there is a way to move past it and continue with your life. Artemisia is an inspiring artist, and I hope you can