A Baroque Allegory: Artemisia Gentileschi
- Claire L.
- Feb 15, 2025
- 4 min read
Updated: Feb 24, 2025
“I fear that before you saw the painting you must have thought me arrogant and presumptuous…You think me pitiful because a woman’s name raises doubts until her work is seen.”
In Artemisia Gentileschi’s “Self-Portrait as the Allegory of Painting,” she pays homage to the beauty of a woman with a brush in one hand and a palette in the other. She breaks the conventions of 17th-century artwork by painting herself as both the subject and the personification of painting. She aligns herself with the allegorical figure of the painting, reclaiming a symbol that traditionally objectified women and transforming it into a celebration of brilliance.
Childhood and Artistic Training
Artemisia Gentileschi was born in Rome in 1593. Her father, Orazio, was a highly regarded painter and her mother died in 1605, leaving Artemisia as the matriarch of the Gentileschi family at 12 years old. She lived a life much like her female peers; sequestered and rarely allowed outside except to attend church.
She spent long hours in the studio and built upon her natural talent by studying with her father. During this time, Artemisia faced social prejudice and disdain. 17th Century Italy did not take kindly to female artists, viewing them as amateur and incapable of producing proper artwork.
Artemisia lived in a time when Italian art had been revolutionized by baroque artist Michelangelo Merisi, better known as Caravaggio. Orazio was an admirer of his works, and Caravaggio’s influence can be seen in the dramatic strokes of Orazio’s and his daughter’s work. Artemisia’s “Susanna and the Elders” (1610) in particular depicts clear traces of Caravaggio’s style. However, Artemisia’s work conveys great emotional depth, even more so than Caravaggio’s flamboyant style, later becoming a key characteristic of her work.
The Rape Trial
In 1612, Artemisia began painting what would later become one of her most famous works: “Judith Beheading Holofernes.” A popular subject, the biblical story tells of the threats made to destroy Judith’s home which prompts her to decapitate the lustful Holofernes to protect her virtue and her people. Her interpretation of the biblical story is believed to be a reflection of her personal life, a cathartic response to her experience.
Agostino Tassi was a young painter who had befriended Orazio and was requested to become Artemisia’s teacher in techniques on perspective. In 1611, while her father was away from home, Tassi raped Artemisia during a lesson. Orazio immediately denounced Tassi to the authorities. He was brought to trial in 1612. A transcript of the entire trial includes the following testimony:
“He pushed me against the edge of the bed…and put his knee between my thighs so that I couldn’t bring them together.” The proceedings of the trial prompt Artemisia to state the famous line, “This is true as God is my witness.”
In an attempt to salvage the aftermath of the assault and protect Artemisia’s honour, Tassi promised to marry her. This was a common way to “restore honour” to a woman and her family. A woman’s reputation was tied to her chastity and rape was considered a crime against her male relatives. Tassi failed to follow through with his promise, making his broken promise the center of the scandal.
The entire ordeal was extremely embarrassing and unpleasant for Artemisia. She was subjected to torture and the indignity of a pelvic examination. She was made to endure thumbscrews as a way to interrogate her. She cries to Tassi, “This is the ring you give me, and these are your promises!”
Tassi was found guilty and exiled.
Life and Fame in Florence
Shortly after the trial, Artemisia marries Pierantonio Stiattesi, a painter from Florence who would continue to be overshadowed by his wife’s success for the remainder of their marriage. The couple moved to Florence where they had two daughters and Artemisia resumed her painting career. She was supported by the Medicis, a powerful banking family in Italy, and associated with great people of the age such as Galileo Galilei. She entered the Florentine Academy of Fine Arts in 1616, becoming the first woman to do so.
Artemisia continued to establish her reputation as an artist. Her works in this period of her life in Florence are her most celebrated today. In 1620, she painted “Jael and Sisera,” based on the story in the Book of Judges in which Jael, an Israelite woman, kills an enemy general. It is her ability to express human-like insight in her works which sets her apart. In 1620, she painted the second version of “Judith Beheading Holofernes.” This version showcases her development as an artist and the refinement of her techniques.
Artemisia and her husband separate, leaving her independent, a status highly irregular at the time. She spent her time travelling with her daughters and moved to London in 1638 after receiving an invitation from England’s King Charles I. She collaborated with her father, Orazio, to paint the ceilings of the Great Hall in the Queen’s House in Greenwich. She continued to paint several works and eventually surpassed her father.
After she died in 1652, Artemisia’s work was forgotten, ignored, or discredited. However, in the 20th century, she was recognized as one of the most brilliant baroque painters of the time.
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