Artemisia Gentileschi

1593-~1656 · Italian (Rome/Florence/Naples) · Baroque

Known for: Baroque painter whose Judith Slaying Holofernes is one of the most powerful paintings in Western art

Artemisia was raped by her father's colleague Agostino Tassi at 17, then subjected to a humiliating trial including torture by thumbscrews. She channeled her rage into art of ferocious power - her Judith paintings depict women calmly executing men with visceral intensity.

She was the first woman admitted to the Accademia delle Arti del Disegno in Florence. She managed a successful career across Italy.

What Artemisia Gentileschi would be watching

The “if they lived today” Q&A on this page gives Artemisia Gentileschi Promising Young Woman (2020) as a favourite film. Their reason: “Finally a film that understands what I have been painting for 400 years.” Rankquant scores it above 84% of films, drawn from 1,061 IMDb reviewers individually re-centred rather than averaged raw. The full film & TV rankings are built the same way.

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