Artemisia Gentileschi Research Paper

With the start of the 16th century, many changes have occurred. One of them being, a turning point in european history and religion, the Reformation. The Reformation was an upheaval where people began to question the authority and piety of the Roman Catholic Church and its traditions. Ignited by Martin Luther, and continued by John Calvin and other protestants this break in religion really shook the established power of the Highest Institution. By the year of 1540, Pope Paul III seen that some kind of change within must happen in order to not lose catholicism to protestantism. He decided to spark a counter-reformation, that reformed and bettered the doctrine and the grip the church had on the monarchies of the european society. The first aim the counter-reformation had

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,

The Reformation was a religious movement that divided the church between the Catholics and Protestants. The Counter-Reformation was a reaction movement that followed this originally crusade, and was lead by the Catholics as a response to the wide spread of Protestantism. The purpose of the Counter-Reformation was to spawn internal reforms. This movement was focused on the renewal of the church in the form of the use of images, focus on the church as the house of God, and the veneration of the Virgin Mary and Saints. The Counter-Reformation was responsible for the start of major change in the Catholic Church and with regard to the role of art; the importance of art was heightened and the movement sought out to restore Catholicism and make is more attractive, thus emerged the Baroque style.

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.

Artemisia Gentileschi is believed to have been born around 1593 and died around 1652.  Both dates are disputed to the current day.  She was one of five children and was born into the life of an artist.  Her father, who was an artist as well, loved her greatly.  Her mother died when she was twelve.  Artemisia was always a skilled painter, but her father wanted even more for her daughter.  While her works were already amazing for her age, she needed artistic guidance in order to further her skills.  One man who was hired as a tutor was named Agostino Tossi.  Tossi almost immediately was an annoying presence in the house frustrating Artemisia.  However, in 1610,

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

The author also talks about the story of Susanna and the Elders. Apparently Artemisia Gentileschi painted three versions of this biblical story at three different stages in her life, 1610, 1622, and 1649. The author did a comparison on the three Susanna paintings and she argues that it is noticeable that the abstracting qualities of the 1610 painting change its concept or meaning from one form of story telling to another. She argues that the abstract form of story telling serves the purpose of finding a visual equivalent to the “deafening silence”. She explains that the 1622 Susanna and the Elders speaks a different language, and so does the 1649 version.

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.

In 1606 Caravaggio had to flee Rome because there was a bounty on his life after he committed a murder. This lifestyle led him to paint pictures with much disparity and darkness and as he got older to more grim his work became. Gentileschi’s life was just as traumatic. She was raped by her teacher, who was her father’s friend. She uses the pain and torment from this incident in her art work. In her Judith beheads horofernes she painted herself in the image of Judith and Horofernes in the image of her

However, the most memorable, striking, and controversial painting of this period came from the female artist Artemisia Gentileschi. Never before had the visualization of violence reached the apogee of brutal physicality and been generated by a woman. The story of Judith was an attractive subject matter for the few existing female artists of that time, and Fede Galizia, Lavinia Fontana, Elizabetta Sirani, and Virginia da Vezzo gladly and frequently realized the concept of implied women’s sexual power. Their depiction of Judith revolved around the moment of glory and triumph when Holofernes’s cut-off head played the role of a trophy and an acknowledgement of women’ sexual omnipotence. According to modern psychoanalysis, depictions of decapitation

Judith Slaying Holofernes by Artemisia Gentileschi ultimately painted one of the most violent representations of Judith in the history of art (Straussman-Pflanzer, 12). Gentileschi was the only woman painter of the Baroque period in her time. She was born in Rome in 1593 to Orazio Gentileschi and Prudenzia Montoni. Artemisia was a follower of Caravaggio, whom art is frequently considered primarily in terms of its naturalism (Straussman-Pflanzer, 13). She also learned the principles of art from her father and the basic perspective from Tassi.

Everyone knows Leonardo da Vinci, but do you know Artemisia Gentileschi? Women in the renaissance, no matter how talented, were always degraded by men. These two admirable artists both helped society by creating new painting techniques and many more new artistic skills. However they both came from very different backgrounds and both were treated in different ways. Artemisia Gentileschi, was the daughter of a major follower of revolutionary paintings.

I think it’s natural for no matter viewers or historians trying to psychoanalyze artists’ artworks. When a person appreciates an artwork, he/she would analyze different aspects including stylistic characteristics and cultural context like what we are practicing now. I believe that Artemisia Gentileschi was somehow “working out” her feelings about her circumstances through her work. Although it is just a biblical scene from the Old Testament “Book of Judith” and a typical example of Baroque art due to the Catholic Counter Reformation, Artemisia Gentileschi painted this scene at least six times in a dramatic way. Looking at the painting, the expression on Judith’s face is extremely vivid. She looks determined for pressing Holofernes’ head hard

Artemisia Gentileschi’s Venus and Cupid is a painting of an angel caressing a woman resting on the bed. In actuality, the painting is about Venus, the Goddess of Love, who is asleep in a very luxurious and classical environment. While she is asleep, Cupid diligently wields a peacock-feathered fan to keep away pests, which makes the environment more safe and peaceful. Primarily strong contrasting lights and darkness display Gentileschi’s work, perhaps inspired by both her father and Caravaggio. Her paintings are all primarily bold compositions for example the

Violence and gore are not uncommon themes in art, however, few paintings depict bloodshed and power with such resounding naturalism as Artemisia Gentileschi's work titled "Judith Slaying Holofernes". The work is an oil on canvas completed in the Baroque era sometime between 1614 to 1620, and depicts Judith and her maidservant holding down the struggling Holofernes as Judith pulls a sword through his neck. Gentileschi utilizes a combination of chiaroscuro and diagonal lines to not only create the lifelikeness and drama of the moment, but also to demonstrate the motions of the struggle as well as continually draw the focus back to the goriest part of the scene with the bloody head of Holofernes.