Friendship with Galileo, personal tragedy and other little-known facts about the great artist of the Middle Ages Artemisia Gentileschi

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

In the 17th century, Artemisia Gentileschi was able to transform her suffering into some of the most dramatic paintings of the Italian Baroque. She was a woman who continued her artistic career with a steely determination, despite deep personal tragedy. The daughter of the renowned painter Orazio Gentileschi, she conquered prejudice and misogyny and became one of the leading painters and historians of the Baroque period.

1. Artemisia grew up without a mother

She was born in Rome in 1593 and her mother died when she was only 12 years old. As the eldest child and only daughter, she was forced to take on most of the housekeeping responsibilities. Artemisia also proved to be the only heiress of Orazio Gentileschi, showing a genuine talent and penchant for painting. Given the strict conservative foundations at the beginning of the 17th century, Father Artemisia had to be literally persuaded to allow him to learn the basics of art.

2. The tragedy of Artemisia

In 1611, her father, Orazio, hired Agostino Tassi, his colleague and artist, to teach Artemisia painting lessons. Orazio, meanwhile, was working on a large order. But in March 1612, Orazio turned to the Roman Criminal Tribunal and filed a complaint in which he accused Tassi of raping his daughter. On May 6, 1611, Tassi entered Gentileschi's house and “as an unwelcome guest went to Artemisia. In her room, he forcibly stripped Artemisia of her honor and left."

Subsequently, Tassi promised to marry Gentileschi, but the court found out that Tassi's wife was alive. The man tried to denigrate Gentileschi's honor, accusing her of promiscuity, but he failed. Tassi was sentenced to five years of exile from Rome under the threat of the gallows.

3. Artemisia became a heroine of the feminist movement long before the appearance of this term

She became one of the heroines of feminist art history, and for good reason. Artemisia was a feminist long before the term was invented. “I will show Your Lordship what a woman is capable of,” she wrote to the Sicilian patron. "You will find the spirit of Caesar in the soul of a woman."

First of all, Artemisia specialized in depicting offended women. She painted women suffering, heroines committing suicide, women shedding the blood of men who harmed them. These were the topics to which she brought her bitter experience. To say that her life was difficult is to say nothing.

4. Caravaggio became the main inspiration for Artemisia

As important as her father's influence was, it was Caravaggio who was the artist whose work made the deepest impression on her. She met him frequently during her formative years (from about 1600 to 1606) because he and her father were close friends at the time. But Gentileschi achieved great success, becoming one of the first women who were admitted to the Florentine Academy and carried out orders at the Medici court.

5. Artemisia's father, Orazio Gentileschi, was imprisoned with Caravaggio

Orazio sided with Caravaggio in many fights and quarrels and even spent several weeks in prison with him when another artist, their enemy Giovanni Baglione, tried (unsuccessfully) to send them both to the galleys for libel. Caravaggio left Rome for good in 1606 after the assassination of Ranuccio Tomassoni.

Artemisia has certainly seen some of Caravaggio's greatest works with her own eyes. There is an interesting detail in the relationship between the two masters. Artemisia's mother was buried in the parish church of Santa Maria del Popolo, which the girl regularly attended. Interestingly, it was Caravaggio who created two frescoes for the chapel of this church. These are two of the most poignant and darkly dramatic altar scenes in his work - "The Crucifixion of St. Peter" and "The Conversion of St. Paul."

6. The first major work was created at the age of 17

In 1610, when Artemisia was only 17 years old, she created her first major storyline - a heartbreaking interpretation of the Old Testament story of Susanna and the elders (below). In the story, the beautiful Susanna, the wife of Joachim, is watched by two elders. Admiring her beauty and desiring her, they threaten to defame her with charges of adultery if she does not yield to their wishes. She refuses, but is ultimately rescued from public shame by exposing lies in the stories of the elders.

All of the artists of the time used the same Bible stories as a source of inspiration. In the works of male artists on the same theme, Susanna is usually portrayed as flirtatiously shy and seductive. But in the picture of Artemisia, Susanna looks frightened, embarrassed. Her knees are covered with a white cloth. She turns away from the elders, her hands are raised in a gesture that clearly indicates: "Go away and leave me alone." Her face reveals fear and vulnerability as the men lean over the wall towards her, whisper to each other and grin. None of those who stand in front of this picture doubt that the attention of men is undesirable. Artemisia wrote the second version in 1622.

7. Artemisia had a friendship with the famous astronomer

After the tragedy suffered and upon arrival in Rome, Artemisia began to build a new life. Her main goal was to become a famous artist in the male art world. In Rome, she made influential friends, including the famous collector and philanthropist Cassiano dal Pozzo and the astronomer Galileo Galilei.

8. She was the first woman to enter the prestigious Academy of Arts

At a time when it was difficult for a woman to become someone other than a wife or a nun, Artemisia was the first woman to enter the prestigious Accademia delle Arte del Diseno in Florence. Her clients were dukes, princes, cardinals and kings. In 1635, Artemisia wrote about her success to her friend Galileo: “I saw that all the kings and rulers of Europe to whom I sent my works did me honor. And not only with great gifts, but also with letters of honor that I keep."

Thus, Artemisia Gentileschi was one of the most daring and most expressive female painters in history. She managed to create some of the most memorable paintings of the early 17th century.