Artemisia Gentileschi – The Image of the Female Hero in Italian Baroque Art

This is a very important book about a great artist and courageous women. She has become an icon for modern feminists, however as a feminist myself I would hate to have her pigeon holed in this way much as she is to be admired for her bravery and advanced thinking, but it is as an artist that she should be most admired for otherwise I feel she will be treated like other female artists that have been seen in the past as somehow lesser in quality than their male counterparts. To always be referenced as a feminist icon is qualifying an artist that should be seen as a great artist first and foremost.

Slim volume, only 22 pages, but 13 of them are colour plates of selected works: Woman playing a lute; Susanna and the Elders, Judith slaying Holofernes (1612-13); Judith and her Maidservant; The Penitent Magdalen; Jael and Sisera; Portrait of a Gonfaloniere; Lucretia; Esther before Ahasuerus; Judith and her Maidservant with the head of Holofernes; Self Portrait as an allegory of Painting; Lot and his daughters (1640s); Corsica and the Satyr. The plates are back to back, but on high quality paper so no bleedthrough. Remainder of book is a brief biography and discussion of the artist. Do not confuse this book with "Artemisia Gentileschi: The Image of the Female Hero in Italian Baroque Art", also by Garrard, which is a much larger scale (607pp) work.

Baroque Italy was highly competitive amongst the leading painters and their respective workshops. It was even more of a challenge for a female artist. Her strength and perseverance resulted in the production of many fine works and unusual compositions. She was assaulted by a fellow artist and during the trial underwent physical torture on her fingers in an attempt to disprove her accusations. Hence her subject matter is both that of the victim and retribution.

This beautiful and powerful book gives the historical context of this skilled and talented painter's work as well as the letters she sent to many noblemen and the court transcripts of the ordeal she endured at the hands of a sexual predator. If you are interested in the life and work of Artemisia Gentileschi, this is the most comprehensive and well written account of same.

As I visited Florence, Italy and saw two or three paintings by this artist, it was good to read up more of the history behind them as information given by the Tourist Guide is somewhat limited.

Bought as a gift and recipient is delighted.

Exactly as described and well packaged.

Ein seltenes und sehr schönes Buch über eine außergewöhnliche Künstlerin.

Quelle artiste , quelle femme ! L'oeuvre de Artemisia est d'une intense pertinence, sa vie est de celle qui bouleverse la torpeur des artistes... le roman de sa vie est une vengeance contre la bêtise: Artemisia, qui doit tant à Caravage, est une Lysistrata de la peinture !

If you want to travel into the mind of Artemisia Gentileschi, as Garrard obviously did, this book is an incredible asset to your journey. She takes you through Artemisia's life (Rome, Florence, Naples etc.) from the very first information to her death. Garrard has her ideas, but they are hardly overtly feminist or out of context. The intelligent reader goes beyond the author anyhow and reads the paintings. This book has copies of every known letter to have been written or received by Artemisia and most of her artwork, her complete rape trial, along with comparisons to her father's work and other artists that she had contact with. It is extremely fascinating and a more complete anayalis of an artist's life that I have yet seen. ...and about Susanna- don't tell me for a minute that the woman who painted that strength of repulsion wasn't being threatened (not necessarily by Tassi but likely Cosimo or even Francesco- think about it) have you ever seen a Susanna that genuinely apalled? Most renditions of the tale feature fear, surprise, or complete oblivion (allure even). Her Susanna is truly defensive and angry; horrified and disgusted.

absolute disaster: all reproductions of paintings in black and white!

An excellent examination of this remarkable painter's life and works. The discussion about Artemisia's contribution as a woman in art (including her role in shaping feminism) is interesting. The interpretations given of some of the paintings provide a fascinating look into her works. Highly recommended!!!