Meredith Herald
September 19, 2001
Campus News
Daughter, painter feminist:
Artemisia Gentileschi honored
in first Convocation of the year
Christina Holder
Editor in Chief
Q Meet
Artemisia Gen-
tileschi>*a feminist
of the 17th century
and a woman
painter of her own
making.
If she lived in the 21st centu
ry. she would have been called
a feminist. However, Artemisia
Gentileschi, an obscure female
Italian painter, was a feminist
in the shadows of the I7th cen-
tury-whether she knew it or
not.
Her life and paintings were
the subject of this year’s first
Convocation, held in Jones
Audit»ium, Monday, Sept. 17,
2001 at 10 a.m.
Bom in Rome in !593,
Artemisia was the eldest child
and only daughter of Orazio
Gentileschi and Prudentia
Mantrone.
As a young woman, her
father noticed her gifts for
painting; however, a career in
painting for Artemisia seemed
unlikely considering she was a
woman' living under the
Renaissance thought that
women lacked intelligence and
were therefore incapable of the
career aspirations of a man.
However, her father, seeing
her talent, allowed her to work
with a rising painter of the
time, a man with whom he had
worked painting frescos on the
walls and ceilings of beautiful
churches.
His name was Agostino
Tassi, and it was not long
before Artemisia and Tassi
became loo close.
He attacked her, raping her
and leaving her alone with no
promise of marriage and no
remorse of his unwarranted
actions.
Artemisia may have never
told anyone.
However, her father forced
Tassi to trial.
Artemisia's trial, dated
March 1612 by the court
records, lasted seven months, a
time in which her father
demanded his daughter be rein
stated as a pure woman.
Tassi, having falsely
promised to many Artemisia,
sat at the trial and watched her
sit on the stand to be ques
tioned. A sibille—rings slipped
over her fmgers and tightened
by strings—was placed on her
hands to determine whether she
was telling the truth.
She asked the court atten
dants to pull the rings tighter
because she still believed that
Tassi would uphold his
promise to marry her. She
knew that she was telling the
truth.
And that is how the rest of
the court knew she was as well.
After the trial, Tassi served
some time in jail but soon was
let out, leaving Artemisia for
ever.
Artemisia turned backed to
her first love-painting. It is in
these works that many histori
ans believe her emotions asso
ciated with her rape bleed onto
the canvas.
Many of her works, such as
one painting called, “Judith
and Her Maidservant,” shows
the Biblical Judith peeking
around a corner illuminated
with candlelight with a sword
gripped in her hand. Judith is
looking for Holofernes, the
man whom she is trying to kill.
In other paintings, such as
“Judith Slaying Holofernes,”
Judith succeeds, severing his
head in a bloody bedroom
scene.
Artemisia’s life and works
were honored in the Convoca
tion on Monday in which
actress Lesley Hunt perfonned
a monologue written by play
Artemisia Gentileschi's painting ‘Judith and her Maidservant."
wright Bill Hartley.
Hunt played the role of
Marie de Medici, the exiled
Dowager Queen of France,
who was known in her country
for being die leader of revolu
tions.
She also adored Orazio Gen-
tileschi’s art-which gave Hart
ley the idea that while there is
no proof that the queen ever
knew Artemisia, it is possible
that they had met or at least
that they had feelings in com
mon considering they both
faced great adversity as
women.
Also, records show that both
women were living in England
in the late 1630s.
‘if she had been a man, it
might have been easier,” said
Medici, pointing to one of
Artemisia’s paintings projected
onto a screen on the stage in
Jones Auditorium. “But she
would not have been able to
paint these paintings.”
Through the character of
Medici, Hunt told Artemisia’s
life story, adding what Hartley
believed she must have been
feeling at the time.
Hartley researched letters,
journals, websites and read the
biography of Artemisia written
by M^ D.Garrard to delve
into the personality and charac
ter of Artemisia.
“As soon aS' I started read
ing,” Hartley said, “I got
hooked."
After reading, Hartley said
the connection between the two
women hit him.
“All of a sudden il seemed
the plight of Marie de Medici
was so much like the life of
Artemisia Gentileschi,” he
said.
Thus he began weaving the
lives of the two women to write
the monologue for the Convo
cation.
Artemisia Gentileschi’s life
was honored through Harley's
writing, Hunt’s acting and the
Meredith community who met
her for the first time on Mon
day.