Artemisia Gentileschi

Only available on StudyMode
  • Download(s) : 924
  • Published : July 15, 2006
Open Document
Text Preview
The Baroque Era and Today: Anti-antics of Artemisia Gentileschi Analyzed There is no historic age admired more then the Renaissance. This epic period defined the meaning of art and its connection to humanism in the past and present. It was an explosion of ideas and knowledge. It was a rebirth of learning based on the rediscovery of ancient texts, and a rebirth of the European culture as a whole. When the Renaissance ended the Baroque period emerged, that conveyed different ideas. There was a sense of tension and even theatrical drama in the paintings. The period produced several new and influential artists that defined the new style and one of the most important was Artemisia Gentileschi. Artemesia was a female Italian painter that pianted in a time period where female painters were not a norm and in many case were not socially accepted. She however, did not conform and became one of the most important female artists of all-time. This was partly because of her breaking ground in paintings involving historical and religious themes. It was not all fun and games for Gentileschi, as she faced hardships and turmoil throughout her artistic life. This anguish and disparity can be seen even in her work Judith and Holofernes. Throughout Gentileschi's painting there is a prevalent theme of feminism. To understand why she is so anti-male it is important to look at Artemisia's motives for the painting, the treatment of women during the Baroque period, and the relevance of Artemisia's life and work with regards to the present. When Artemisia Gentileschi was a teen her teacher Agostino Tassi raped her. During the Baroque Era women were not supposed to lose their virginity before marriage; since, Artemisia had lost her virginity before she had married, many people considered her to be unchaste. Therefore, the rape and many people considering her to be unchaste led to her hatred towards men. When a woman becomes victim to rape the healing can be long and arduous. When a...
tracking img