Artemisia Gentileschi

Artemisia Gentileschi was an Italian Baroque painter born in Rome in 1593 and active in major artistic centres including Florence, Naples, Venice and London.

Artemisia Gentileschi was an Italian Baroque painter born in Rome in 1593 and active in major artistic centres including Florence, Naples, Venice and London. She is widely regarded as one of the most accomplished painters of the 17th century and is especially known for dramatic history and religious scenes featuring strong female figures.

Early life and training

Artemisia Gentileschi was born in Rome in 1593 and learned painting in her father's workshop. Her background and early training, under her father Orazio Gentileschi, shaped her development as a professional painter in a field dominated by men. Her earliest signed and dated painting is Susanna and the Elders from 1610.

Career and patrons

She built a career across several Italian cities and also worked in London. Her patrons included powerful members of European aristocracy and royalty, such as the Grand Duke of Tuscany and Philip IV of Spain, which reflects her high standing during her lifetime. She spent time in Florence, Venice, Naples and London, and ran a successful studio in Naples from about 1630.

Artistic style and themes

Gentileschi worked in the Baroque style and is closely associated with Caravaggist dramatic light and realism, employing tenebrism and Caravaggesque realism. Her best-known paintings often place women at the centre of scenes drawn from the Bible, mythology and history, including dramatic depictions of Judith, Cleopatra, Lucretia and Susanna.

Legacy

She is now regarded as one of the most important painters of the 17th century and one of the most celebrated women artists in Western art history. Modern scholarship and exhibitions have given her work renewed prominence. A document found in 1654 records her as still living in Naples in August of that year.