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Artemisia Gentileschi and Her World
Ildiko Mohacsy
Abstract: This article deals with one of the most notable artists of 17th century Italy: Artemisia Gentileschi. Gentileschi holds a unique place in art history, both as a woman artist and as the first female member of the Academy of Design in Florence. Brought up to be an artist by her fatherthe painter Orazio Gentileschishe was allowed to work in his studio, use models, receive instruction and collaborate with well-known artists. Artemisia Gentileschi became a follower of the school of Caravaggio the schools only Caravaggista. She began public life in a notorious way; her father had his colleague Tassiher painting instructorcharged with raping her.
The relationship between historical and art historical events in Gentileschis lifetime and creative processes are explored. Special attention is given to those vicissitudes of Gentileschi `s personal life that may be reflected through her work. Popular psychoanalytic conceptualizations about Gentileschi are discussed, as are mythological and biblical themes in her art.
ARTEMISIA THE PAINTER
There were many masters of Baroque painting but only one was a woman: Artemisia Gentileschi. The New Republic lauds her as the figure who comes closest to Caravaggio in combining a tumultuous biography with fiercely innovative painting . . . her art . . . like Caravaggios stands out for its violence and for its ferocious concentration (Rowland, 2002, p. 3738). Germaine Greer describes her as the rare female artist who could be labeled genius (Katz, 1998).
Artemisia was the eldest child of painter Orazio Gentileschi. Orazio himself was unusual. The New York Times describes him as a man who wrote obscene verse and befriended the scum of Roman society . . . at his best a great artist, nearly as great as they got in the century of Caravaggio, Van Dyck, Rubens and Rembrandt, which is to say sublime . . . a coarse man capa-
Ildiko Mohacsy, M.D., Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Mount Sinai Medical School; Adjunct Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, Cornell Medical Center; Psychoanalytic Supervisor, William Alanson White Institute.
A version of this article was originally given at the American Academy of Psychoanalysis conference in San Francisco in May, 2003.
I would like to express my gratitude to Heidi Lefer for...