As a lover of art, I find myself willing to travel extensively in order to expand my experiences. That being said, I traveled to Chicago and Detroit during some of the coldest days of the Midwest in memory, to see works by two of my favorites, Caravaggio (1571-1610) and Artemisia Gentileschi (1593-1656). The latter being the subject of this blog post.
Artemisia would be 426 years old today. As the first woman granted membership to Florence’s Acadameia del Disegno, she was famous in her time and counted many crowned heads of Europe among her clientele. I first learned about Artemisia Gentileschi through an article in the International Herald Tribune, the review of an exhibition featuring her work and the story of her life. Often ostracized by circumstances beyond her control, Artemisia painted comparisons between the struggle of a 16th century woman against depictions of life and violent events.
Her mother died when she was 12, the family was of lower class and she grew up in a rough and violent household. Her father, the talented artist Orazio Gentileschi (1563-1639), a contemporary of Caravaggio, trained his talented daughter in the techniques of the day. On the cusp of adulthood, she was raped at the age of 18; this scandal was followed by a sensational trial making it impossible to win aristocratic and ecclesiastical commissions that were essential to her career as an artist in Rome [1]. However, these obstacles did not impede her abilities; leaving Rome after the trial to live in Florence, she overcame her humble origins.
In terms of popularity the worm has turned for Artemisia. As the understanding of her art grew, she experienced a massive uptake of interest and demand. Her beautiful self-portrait as the Lute Player (1615-17), seen at the Wadsworth Atheneum, hangs next to Caravaggio’s Saint Francis in Ecstasy. I cannot think of a more fitting placement, her father’s painting, Judith and her Maidservant with the head of Holofernes, hangs on the opposite side of St. Francis.Â
Artemisia painted several versions of the Holofernes legend, taking a clear influence from Caravaggio’s Judith Beheading Holofernes, 1599, which hangs in the Nazaionale d’ Arte Antica di Palazzo Barberini, Rome. Caravaggio’s Abra displays the disdain for the enemy leader, while Judith appears to be holding the task of beheading Holofernes at arm’s length, not confident in her actions.
Artemisia’s version of this story (1614-20), purchased by the Medici and on loan from the Uffizi Gallery in Florence to the Chicago Art Institute, takes away that uncertainty. This Judith is fully engaged in the act, not deterred by the spray of blood across her arms, clothes and breast. Abra is also entirely a part of the action, holding down the leader while her mistress grasps the hair of his beard to steady herself during the decapitation. The detail of the epic masterpiece is exquisite, down to the bracelet on her arm showing different figures in each locket. The determination in the faces of Judith and Abra manifest the shared responsibility of the violent act, the furrowed brow of Judith, Abra fully engaged restraining their prey. I consider this, alongside Caravaggio’s Head of Medusa, an indicator of the unique patron treasures to be found at the Uffizi.
A surprise in my travels is another version of this painting by Artemisia, found in the Detroit Institute of Art, dating from 1623. The full length portrait evokes amplitude of shadow in this final vision of the story, the secretive nature of the act, the sword still held at the ready in case someone has overheard the event. The hand of Judith held to the candle, ready to douse the light, dimming the features of her face. The act is complete, the head prepared for the pike, sending a message to the invading army.
Seeing these treasures evokes my continued passion for art and history. Each painting by Artemisia tells a story, indulges the senses bringing the thirst for more to replenish the mind. I hope you have enjoyed my abbreviated commentary on her life, and that more treasures from this elusive painter will be found in my travels. If you have any comments, please feel free to share them in space below, I look forward to discussing this forgotten artist with other likeminded readers.
Cheers,
MJ
Additional resources:
Artemisia’s trial, the complete transcript is here.
https://archive.org/stream/OrazioandArtemisiaGentileschi/OrazioandArtemisiaGentileschi_djvu.txt .
1. Straussman-Pflanzer , Eva, Violence and Virtue, Artemisia Gentileschi, Judith Slaying Holofernes, Yale University Press, 2013, The Art Institute of Chicago.
2. Nochlin, Linda, Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists?, Extract from Women, Art and Power and Other Essays, Westview Press, 1988, pp.147-158.
3. Webwinds, Artemisia, the Rape and the Trial, http://www.webwinds.com/artemisia/trial.htm .