Artemisia Gentileschi
Artemisia is one of the most talented artists you’ve never heard of. She’s not only one of the finest female painters of the Baroque period, she’s one of the greatest, period. But when she is mentioned, even her impressive talent tends to be overwhelmed by the event which rocked her to the core, that of her rape by a tutor. The resulting trial lasted months, during which Artemisia was tortured by having ropes wrapped around her fingers and pulling them tight, all in an effort order to prove her honesty. While her rapist was convicted, he was released by the judge, apparently because he was such a successful artist, with the pope being one of his fans. (And a white male “artist” not only getting away with abuse, but being rewarded, is still frustratingly common.) The transcript can still be read today, and contains a depressingly familiar-and modern-narrative. There are arguments about whether Artemisia was a virgin when she was raped, whether or not she was promiscuous, and insults against her character and her artistic skills. After the trial, Artemisia married and kept on painting, going on to become one of the most famous artists in Europe, with her paintings often illustrating Biblical women from a nuanced female perspective. However, her most famous work is the Judith Slaying Holofernes, which depicts the assassination of Holofernes by Judith. In the brutal scene, two strong-looking women hold Holofernes down while one of them stabs him in the throat, while blood realistically flows from his neck onto the sheets. It’s hard not to view it without seeing the barely repressed rage of a woman who suffered under a patriarchal system incapable of seeing her as fully human.
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