Artemisia Gentileschi
1593-c. 1656 Italy/Baroque
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Brief Biography-Artemisia Gentileschi, born in Rome in 1590, was the Disciple of her father, Orazio, whom she surpassed in portraiture. Caravaggio influenced her the most, and she painted in his style. Artemisia visited London, where her father was a court painter to Charles I, and there she painted much nobility. Unfortunately, she is remembered by many for the rape trial of Agostino Tassi, who was her tutor. She had her fingers tortured with thumbscrews under questioning, but Tassi was found guilty and sentenced to exile; however, they did not enforce the sentence. Her numerous paintings of violent scenes, for example, Judith Slaying Holofernes, are assumed to be a reaction to the rape; however, this is not certain. Her painting skills were equal, if not superior, to most male artists of her time. She spent three years in Florence and, in 1630, settled in Rome for the remainder of her life. |
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