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Artemisia Poses for Her Father. 80 x 32 in. 1998. Oil On Wood.
Artemisia Gentileschi, (b. 1593, Rome) was the first woman to achieve artistic fame. Her father described her as precocious in a letter to a friend. Her mother died when she was 12. Rome was her home for her first 18 years.
Artemisia’s father, Orazio, was a well-known artist. She spent her days in his studio learning how to paint, and she had access to painting education that most women did not. She may also have visited the studio of Caravaggio - a friend of her father.
At times, her work was sometimes mistaken for her father’s. Misattributions have increased the size of her oeuvre.
Observing A Hermaphrodite. 2000. 50 x 54 in. Oil on linen.
Judy re-imagines Artemisia's sketchbook.
At times, her work was sometimes mistaken for her father’s. Misattributions have increased the size of her oeuvre.
Artemisia Views the Heads of Beatrice and Lucrezia Cenci, September 11, 1599. 1999. 88" x 192". Mixed media on treated paper.
At age six years old, it is speculated that Artemisia (pink dress) attended the public showing of the heads of two Roman women citizens accompanied by her father, Orazio, and Caravaggio.
The two women were convicted of murdering Francesco Cenci, a violent and dissolute aristocrat. They were his daughter and his second wife (he murdered his first), who were both severely mistreated. Despite protest from Roman citizens, Pope Clement VIII sentenced the two women to death by beheading.
All of Rome would have attended this event, and it may have had significant impact on young Artemisia.
The large mixed media drawing is comprised of 24 pieces. The painting seems to foreshadow Artemisia’s upcoming struggles with trauma - she would soon face a situation that would risk her own life in pursuit of justice.
Usarmi Violenza. 1998. 44 x 50 in. Oil on linen.
Artemisia met Agostino Tassi, one of her father’s colleagues, for further art education (See portrait 1). He became obsessed with her and stalked her.
Portrait 1: Orazio Gentileschi and Agostino Tassi. 1998. 80 x 36 in. Oil On Wood.
In May 1611, Tassi bribed the housekeeper to get access to Artemisia’s chamber where he seduced and raped her (See portrait 2). Her father sued him for “devaluation of property”.
Portrait 2: Cosimo the Orderly and Tusia, the Housekeeper. 1998. 80 x 36 in. Oil On Wood.
After the trial, friends of Artemisia's father - Donna Porzia and Giovanni Battista Stiattesi - arranged for her marriage to a Florentine painter - Pietro Antonione Vincenzo Stiattesi - to save her reputation (See portrait 3).
Portrait 3: Donna Porzia and Giovanni Battista Stiattesi. 1998. 80x36. Oil On Wood.
The trial lasted 9 months. Records indicate that she was tortured to test her honesty. There is no record of the rapist being tortured. Rape was a common event, and men were rarely fully prosecuted. Tassi was released from prison shortly after the trial.
Più Tardi. 1998. 72 x 48 in. Oil on linen.
This series of 12 drawings, Night-Side, (below) continue the narrative of the early life of Artemisia during this period.
Night Side (Series). 1997-1998. 30 x 32 in. Mixed Media on Treated Paper.
Map of Rome: 1612. 1998. 113 x 94 in. Acrylic on Cotton Duck.
Map of Rome includes sites that were established in the founding of Rome, where Artemisia often frequented. The banners on the map are places she might have hidden or passed as she tried to avoid Tassi on her travels.
The 28 lunar artworks below corresponded to actual phases of the moon during this fateful period in her life, and locations with which she was familiar. They represent aspects of the city in which she was raised, began her career and achieved personal independence.
They are also places which became familiar to me during my time in Rome. I visualize them as places of contemplation where she attempted to gather her thoughts concerning her predicament.
Lunar Phase (Series). 1997-1998. 30 x 32 in. Mixed Media on Treated Paper.
Installation of Roman map and lunar cycle.
Artemisia In Florence.
Six months after her arranged marriage, Artemisia and her husband leave for Florence. Now a fully independent artist, she works at the court of Grand Duke Cosimo II de Medici, and is commissioned for work by Buonarroti the Younger, the great nephew of Michelangelo.
She meets Galileo, among other scientists and artists working in Florence (artists and scientists were considered professionally equal).
Observing The Moon (Artemesia And Galileo In The Cupola Of Brunellschi's Duomo). 1999. 128 x 80 in. Pastel on Panel.
Observing The Moon (Artemesia Sees The Moon Through The First Telescope Invented By Galileo). 1997. 32 x 24 in. Pastel and Acrylic on Paper.
Florence was a forward looking city compared to Rome. Artemisia was well received there and flourished in the progressive Art community.
She also became the first woman to be invited as a member of the Academia del Disegno.
Reading About The Moon. 1997. 10.5 x 13.5 in. Oil on Wood.
Artemesia Drawing Judith Slaying Holofernes
Judith Slaying Holofernes
While in Florence, Artemisia painted her first version of “Judith Slaying Holofernes.” Early feminist critics interpreted the painting as a form of visual revenge following Gentileschi's rape, and it is a key example of her achievement in portraying strong women.
Observing Artemisia
I imagined that people wanted to see her working, because she was a novelty - they couldn’t believe a woman could actually be a painter. Women were considered to be incapable of intellectual thoughts.
Reading About The Moon. 1997. 10.5 x 13.5 in. Oil on Wood.
Artemisia with Boccaccio Players. Oil on linen.
This large painting depicts and imagined event orchestrated by Artemisia. She shows her friends the Boccaccio Player, a theatrical group, at the Pozzi Chapel. She feels they should perform here as Brunelleschi, the Architect, was an admirer of Boccaccio.
The Party. Oil on linen.
Reaching For An Apple. Oil on linen.
Extinguishing the Candle. 10.5 x 13.75 in. Oil on Wood.
Velasquez and the Farnese Bull. Oil on wood.
Artemisia left Florence for Naples to seek new commissions. It was the center of the Art World in Italy at the time. There, she met the painter Velasquez.
I had been long inspired by The Farnese Bull - a sculpture telling an ancient Greek story of revenge. In this painting, I imagine Artemisia and Velasquez visited the museum and admired this highly dramatic sculpture.
These imagined Artemisia letters are a collaboration with poet Katherine Smith and calligrapher Rose Folsom, created during residency at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts.
The letters include her daughter, her father, and Galileo.
Observing Artemisia. Oil on wood.
Observing Artemisia. Oil on wood.
Observing Artemisia. Oil on wood.
Because she was a novelty, I imagined that people wanted to see her working. But also because they couldn’t believe a woman could actually be a painter. Women were considered to be incapable of intellectual thoughts.
Artemisia Drawing at the Pyramid of Calius Cestius. Installation.
Artemisia Drawing at the Pyramid of Calius Cestius was a temporary installation done as part of an exhibition at the Maryland Project for the Arts in Baltimore.
The Pyramid of Calius Cestius is part of the ancient wall that surrounds Rome. While in Rome, I wandered near various parts of it imagining Artemisia carrying the means to work on a drawing there.
Artemesia lived in Bologna for a short time. Portrait commissions could have been her way income - she was responsible for the upkeep of her family. The Women of Bologna paintings represent the type of portraits she could have done, possibly of the daughters or wives of professors and aristocrats living in Bologna. The “Coat of Arms” found on the framing represent the professions of the mothers and fathers of each woman.
The Women of Bologna. 41 x 37 in. Oil on wood.
