Artemisia Gentileschi Academic Scholarly Sources

Annotated Bibliography
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Annotated Bibliography
This work focus on the life, achievements and challenges in the life of an Italian Baroque painter named Artemisia Gentileschi. Understanding and analyzing the life and accomplishments of Artemisia Gentileschi requires a deeper analysis using credible sources. Living in an era when female painters were disregarded and unappreciated by the artistic community, Artemisia Gentileschi emerged a victor against all odds and gained great reputation. While numerous challenges we part of her life, Artemisia Gentileschi engaged in a lifelong struggle for equality and constantly challenging the patriarchal oppression, qualifying to be regarded as an early feminist.
Bissell, R. (1968). Artemisia Gentileschi—A New Documented Chronology. The Art Bulletin, 50(2), 153-168. doi: 10.1080/00043079.1968.10789138
This article explores the life, accomplishments, and achievements of Artemisia Gentileschi. The author points to her vast experience she accumulated for over four decades in her career. The author notes the extraordinary nature of Artemisia Gentileschi, who had become very successful in an industry that was considered traditionally as a man’s job. Her prominence as an artist during this time can be considered an achievement in a patriarchal society that viewed women as inferior. Other milestones that the author captures include the trial of Agostino Tassi, her father’s friend turned rapist, in 1612 and her disregard of her husband to pursue a successful independent career. The author notes that Artemisia Gentileschi achieved a notable reputation at a very tender age. The chronology records her entire family, that comprised of the father and mother, Orazio Gentileschi and Prudentia Montone, and five brothers. The article captures the entire professional painting work carried out by Artemisia throughout her life.
Lajta-Novak, J. (2012). Father and Daughter across Europe: The Journeys of Clara Wieck Schumann and Artemisia Gentileschi in Fictionalised Biographies. European Journal of Life Writing, 1(0), 41-58. doi: 10.5463/ejlw.1.25.
This paper examines the life of Artemisia Gentileschi (1593-c.1656) by interrogating the work of Susan Vreeland, The Passion of Artemisia (2002). The author explores the life of the famous Italian Baroque painter who had been tutored by her father from an early age to become an influential artist. The author recounts how her extraordinary talent in art and painting took her across Europe, where she met various famous historical figures. The author sought to examine the relationship between Artemisia Gentileschi and her father, thus focusing on the historical gender relations and patriarchal societies. In this article, the author sought to focus on two related issues, namely: Gentileschi’s journey across Europe and the impact of the journeys that triggered a change in the perception of both her father and herself. The author uses Susan Vreeland’s fictionalized biography to delve into the feminist ideologies and events created by Artemisia Gentileschi.
From the article, we learn of Gentileschi’s bitterness against the objectification of women. For instance, the author notes that “Artemisia’s thoughts and speech in the novel are thus constructed to expose a patriarchal society’s habit of treating women as the property of men, as objects that can be exchanged and “traded” (Lajta-Novak, 2012 p. 53). Other recounts of objectification are seen when Artemisia is raped aged eighteen by Agostino Tassi, her father’s colleague, becoming a subject of a rape trial. Consequently, Artemisia’s reputation was subsequently destroyed prompting her father to marry her off. It is in the aftermath that Artemisia became an established and independent painter, even traveling from Naples to London. As her aging father’s health failed, the tension between the two eased and is depicted in an emotional reunion where Artemisia pity’s for her father. The tension that was created when Artemisia decides to defy her father and pursue her career independently soon eased. Artemisia also forgave her father for objectifying her and their relationship improves on what the author calls ‘a process of self-recognition’. By pursuing an independent career, Artemisia challenged the traditional patriarchal system, hence reinforcing the idea of early feminism.
Pollock, G. (2006). Differencing the Canon. London: Routledge.
In the book, Pollock explores the issue of feminism through the painting by Artemisia Gentileschi. The author paints an early feminist who began her advocacy at an early age. For instance, Artemisia’s Susanna and the Elders, signed and date in1610, was painted when Artemisia was seventeen. At such a mere age, Artemisia had shown incredible talent which woul...