Page 79 - B-ALL#33 ENGLISH

On the occasion of the acquisition of one of her paintings, “Self-portrait in Saint Catherine of Alexandria”, the National Gallery of London celebrates Artemisia (1593- 1654), Italian painter, and disciple of Caravaggio in a mono- graphic exhibition. Thirty baroque works from private and public collections with letters from her passionate correspondence are exhibited for the first time in Great Britain.
Orphaned from mother in her childhood and daughter of the mannerist artist Orazio Gentileschi, she learned drawing from her father and the art of mixing colors. Without really understanding her immense talent, she grew up in the Roman artistic milieu and will remain one of the few women of the time to know notoriety under the protection of several patrons. She began her career in Rome before settling in Florence, then in Venice and Naples. She will also settle in London at the Court of Charles I for a short time.
More known for her personal vicissitudes than for her works, it was not until the 20th century that her talent was rediscovered.
Raped by one of her father’s collaborators at the age of 19, she was forced to undergo a bestial trial, which subjected her to torture to test the veracity of her accusations and to undergo a most humiliating gynecological examination. This violence will forever mark her works in bloody authenticity.Despite the promise made to her father, the man who rapes her, Agostino Tassi, will not marry her and, despite his trial, his sentence to exile will never be executed thanks to the intervention of his powerful protectors.
Artemisia got married, however, immediately after this drama. Her husband allows her to escape shame, but he is a weak man and incapable of loving this strong woman. Pier Antonio Stiattesi will make her unhappy before she leaves him. From there union will be born four children but only one girl will survive. She will however have another daughter outside the union. Passionate letters from Artemisia to her Florentine lover, however, show that she could finally know love.
Susannah and the Elders(1622) © The Burghley House Collection