Artemisia Gentileschi Research Paper

Judith Cutting Off the Head of Holofernes (Figure 1), ca. 1640,1 is consisting of a well-dressed female decapitating a middle-age man in his bed with the aid of an old woman. The elegantly dressed female using a sword to behead the man is named Judith. The male figure in the painting is

Gortyn was a city-state populated by descendants of the Mycenaean’s and Dorian settlers. Greek city-states that were settled by Dorians including Sparta, gave greater rights to women then city-states, which instead were settled by other tribes. In Ancient Greece, it could be argued that many saw adultery as an act, which was worse than rape. The Gortyn law Code could therefore be classed as unusual as in there is a punishment albeit only financial. ‘If one commit rape on a free man or woman, he shall pay 100 staters …and if a slave on a free man or woman he shall pay double, and if a free man on a male or female serf, five drachmas, and if a serf on a male or female serf, five drachmas.’ The fine is largely determined by the difference in social status between the victim and the accused. A free man raping a slave is the lowest fine and a slave raping a free man or woman is the largest fine. Free women seem however, to have a respected place in society if raping a woman is seen as a punishable offence, which in the ancient world wasn’t always seen as that. It emphasises how Gortyn society valued omen based on what social class they adhered

The first piece of evidence that Apollodoros presented in court was that Neaira was considered a foreigner by bringing up her past (Hamel, 156) He advertised Neaira as prostitute

In this artwork, the moment of the beheading itself, those things painted are display in a flat stage, emphatically lit from the margin, segregated against the dark, shadowy background. Judith and Abra, who was her maid and stand to the right in the picture, partly over Holofernes, who was susceptible on his back. During the creation, Caravaggio adjusted the position of Holofernes' head as he proceeded, isolating it slightly from the middle and moving it marginally to one side, which was uncovered by X-rays (Bissell, 2005). His mastery of feeling and emotion was demonstrated by the faces of those characters, Judith was specifically appearing in her face a mix of repulsion and determination. Artemisia Gentileschi and other artists were profoundly influenced by this work, and even surpassed Caravaggio's physical authenticity, but it has been contended that none matched his catch of Judith's mental inner conflict (Varriano,

Judith Slaying Holofernes is one of her masterpieces that has been acknowledged as a proper piece to understand the main characteristics of her painting style. Carol Strickland, an American art historian, explains that this painting shows how Gentileschi depicted her subject into the style of Caravaggio, who was her father’s teacher and famous for dramatic lightning (Strickland, 47). Based on these facts, some critics conjecture that Gentileschi may just have borrowed the dramatic story from the Book of Judith to express her technique that resembled that of Caravaggio. They argue that it is unreasonable and too subjective to relate Judith Slaying Holofernes with the identity of Gentileschi. Identity of Gentileschi, however, cannot be separated with the story of Judith and the painting Judith Slaying Holofernes because Gentileschi’s identity severely resembles that of Judith. Their struggle, success leaded by their capacity, and destruction of the gender stereotypes are main common aspects that Judith and Gentileschi share. These qualities further prove how Artemisia Gentileschi was an ideal feminist who asserted her freedom inside an unfair

This ancient Athenian murder trial centralizes around the expectations of marriage, the role of women in ancient Greece, and the dangers a husband faces after failing to properly supervise his wife. Euphiletus stands accused of the murder of Eratosthenes, his wife’s lover. According to Athenian law, if a husband finds his wife in bed with another man, it is the husband’s right to determine what penalty the male adulterer will face. The Husband could demand he pay a fine, or even justifiably kill him. The time period of Euphiletus’ trial had come to acknowledge financial compensation as the common settlement for such offenses. Eratosthenes’ family is having Euphiletus prosecuted for premeditated murder; leaving Euphiletus to convince a jury

Artemisia Gentileschi was not the first to paint Judith Slaying Holofernes. Her father had painted Judith. Michelangelo, Botticelli and Caravaggio had painted Judith. Donatello had sculpted Judith. But she was the first to interpret the story of Judith, in a time when women had few rights, as an allegory for female dominance. In comparison with other contemporary versions, the composition, dramatic style, and emotions of the characters present a violently feminist view that may have stemmed from Gentileschi's own experiences.

Another interesting commonality between the two is that Anguissola’s mother died when she was around 4 or 5. Similarly, Gentileschi lost her mother at a young age, when she was around 12 years old. Gentileschi must have struggled more as a result than her fortunate predecessor, as she was not from prestigious family. Her father was a fairly well-known artist who worshipped Michelangelo Merisi Caravaggio’s style, especially his use of tenebrism. This adoration was imparted to his daughter Artemisia, who often copied this style. Intriguingly, there is a bizarre connection even in this. There is some rumor that a drawing that Anguissola had sent to the famed artist Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (the more famous one), had ended up in a notebook belonging to Giorgio Vasari, and is suspected to have been discovered by Caravaggio, which later inspired his painting ‘Boy Bitten by a Lizard’. There is a clear connection through time between these two women. Yet, in a way seems to have been founded through pure chance and phenomenon. As hard as it is to believe, this is not the only person who intertwines these women together. Anthony Van Dyke visited Anguissola when she was very old, and blind, but spent hours

 It seemed as if the court almost condoned his actions and felt little pity for Artemisia.  Her paintings, at this point in her life, become drastically different.  In about 1612, she paints the first of five works of Judith and Holoferness.  The gory scene shows Holoferness, an Assyrian general being beheaded by Judith, a Jewish widow.  The scene shows ample amount of blood, however, it does not feel like a room of murder.  The killing of Holoferness by Judith is done in order to protect her homeland and life.  Also, she prays to god in order to give her the strength to do the killing.  Therefore, she felt it was justifiable.  It is a rare message for the early 1600's in that it is the woman avenging a man.  The powerful scene  of   It seems that Artemisia paints these works in order to avenge her own suffering from Tossi as well as the justice system.  By depicting such a strong and powerful woman, Artemisia is, in a sense, creating a world which she believes in.  In this world, women can speak up and women are heard.  Women are just as capable of murder, leadership, and power as any man.  Artemisia paints four more scenes of Judith and Holoferness all varying slightly.  However, her overall theme and meaning of the work is consistent.  Simply put, Judith is a woman to be looked at and respected for being a strong willed woman who stands up for what she

I had never heard of the artist Artemisia Gentileschi before this introductory Art course. Of all the paintings and sculptures found within the book, it was her work that stood out and spoke to me. "Judith and Maidservant with the head of Holofernes" is a particularly rich oil painting by the Italian Gentileschi, painted circa 1625 Europe. Her large canvas measures 72 and 1/2 inches by 55 and 3/4 inches and began as a biblical story telling inspiration come to life within the oil. Located at the Detroit Institute of Arts, the painting was a gift to the institute from Art collector Mr. Leslie H. Green in 1952. Artemisia was the daughter of a painter (and caravaggio influenced) Orazio Gentileschi, she was also the wife of little known artist

Nanette Salomon emphasizes that there are different ways to make sense of the changes in Artemisia’s three “Susannas”. One explanation may be that Artemisia’s work show progressive naturalism or realism which can be attributed to her development as an artist.

I chose to type my submission for this week on Artemisia Gentileschi. Artemisia was born in Rome in July of 1953, despite the fact that her birth certificate says she was born in 1590. I’m not sure how they managed to mess that one up but I’m sure there’s some reason. She was the oldest child and the only girl in her family after her mother died when Artemisia was just twelve. Her father was a notable painter in Tuscany by the name of Orazio Gentileschi. She was introduced to art, obviously, by her father in his workshop. Her first painting for the public was “Susanna and the Elders” when she was seventeen years, many made accusations that her father helped with the painting.

Considered one of the most important artists of the Baroque movement in Early Modern Europe, Artemisia Gentileschi, had to prove herself and break down the boundaries for a woman in a male dominated field. Artemisia was born in Rome on July 8, 1953 to Orazio and Prudentia Monotone Gentileschi, who died when the artist was only twelve years of age. Her upbringing was left to her father, who was also a well-known painter. He trained her since she was not permitted to learn in the studios of successful artists of the moment. Orazio introduced his daughter to the working artists of Rome including Caravaggio, whose tenebrism technique and chiaroscuro style had a great influence on her paintings.

"Art HERstory: Artemisia Gentileschi | M.I.S.S.." Pop Culture Lifestyle Network- Pop Culture and Lifestyle Blog. N.p., 24 Feb. 2010. Web. 19 Apr. 2011. <http://www.missomnimedia.com/2010/02/art-herstory-artemisia-gentileschi/>.

In this essay, I will discuss the startling differences between two depictions of the story of Judith and Holofernes. “Judith with the Head of Holofernes”, 1495, created by Andrea Mantegna, is a small-scale painting that was completed during the Renaissance. The second is a Baroque painting, “Judith Slaying Holofernes”, c.1620 by Artemisia Gentileschi and is on a larger scale than the version created by Mantegna. Both artworks take inspiration from the religious story that appears in the Catholic editions of the Bible. The story is about a young widowed Jewish woman, by the name of Judith, who murdered an enemy army general, Holofernes, to spare her people from death. I will compare and contrast how the scene has been depicted in rather different ways by each of the artists and the influencing factors that contributed to the overall outcome of both works. I will also be discussing how form and naturalism are portrayed between the two paintings, use of colour, symbolism and religion, as well as the Renaissance and Baroque eras.