1 00:00:02,440 --> 00:00:06,560 Speaker 1: Happy Saturday. Baroque artist Artemisia Gentileski is going to come 2 00:00:06,640 --> 00:00:09,240 Speaker 1: up in one of our upcoming episodes, so we are 3 00:00:09,240 --> 00:00:12,719 Speaker 1: bringing out our episode on her as Today's Saturday Classic. 4 00:00:13,200 --> 00:00:16,400 Speaker 1: This episode originally came out on March fourth, twenty fifteen. 5 00:00:17,160 --> 00:00:19,640 Speaker 2: In this episode, we mentioned that we are going to 6 00:00:19,680 --> 00:00:22,880 Speaker 2: put the paintings we are talking about on our pinterests 7 00:00:23,000 --> 00:00:25,720 Speaker 2: so people can see them, and we did do that, 8 00:00:26,680 --> 00:00:29,880 Speaker 2: but unfortunately a while back, we had to archive several 9 00:00:29,960 --> 00:00:32,680 Speaker 2: of our pinterest boards because our website moved to a 10 00:00:32,720 --> 00:00:35,879 Speaker 2: new platform and eventually all of those old links no 11 00:00:35,960 --> 00:00:39,400 Speaker 2: longer worked, which meant all the pins were broken. That 12 00:00:39,520 --> 00:00:41,879 Speaker 2: included the bord where we had pinned all of this artwork. 13 00:00:41,920 --> 00:00:45,519 Speaker 2: But fortunately, her artwork is all over the web, and 14 00:00:45,600 --> 00:00:48,440 Speaker 2: a search for something like Artemisia Gentileski art should bring 15 00:00:48,479 --> 00:00:51,159 Speaker 2: it right up, even if you muddle up the spelling 16 00:00:51,200 --> 00:00:55,800 Speaker 2: of her name. I checked, yes, so enjoy. 17 00:00:57,720 --> 00:01:00,640 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff You Missed in History Class, a production 18 00:01:00,800 --> 00:01:09,640 Speaker 1: of iHeartRadio. Hello, and welcome to the podcast. 19 00:01:09,680 --> 00:01:11,640 Speaker 2: I'm Holly Frye and I'm Tracy V. 20 00:01:11,760 --> 00:01:16,199 Speaker 1: Wilson. Today's topic is often called the greatest female painter 21 00:01:16,280 --> 00:01:18,520 Speaker 1: of the Baroque period. But that's kind of one of 22 00:01:18,600 --> 00:01:21,560 Speaker 1: those things that makes me chuckle because there weren't very 23 00:01:21,600 --> 00:01:24,479 Speaker 1: many women painters to speak of during that time, though 24 00:01:24,480 --> 00:01:26,839 Speaker 1: there were a couple of others in addition to today's topic, 25 00:01:27,720 --> 00:01:32,080 Speaker 1: but today's subject was quite extraordinary. We've had a couple 26 00:01:32,080 --> 00:01:33,959 Speaker 1: of requests for this one, but the most recent one 27 00:01:34,000 --> 00:01:38,280 Speaker 1: came from mother and daughter Shelley and Annie, and also, 28 00:01:38,400 --> 00:01:41,360 Speaker 1: interestingly enough, right before we came into the studio today, 29 00:01:41,360 --> 00:01:44,319 Speaker 1: I got another one from another listener named Sophie. I 30 00:01:44,360 --> 00:01:47,120 Speaker 1: believe I'm going from memory, so apologies if that is wrong. 31 00:01:47,800 --> 00:01:52,400 Speaker 1: So we are talking about artmedia. Gentileski and I have 32 00:01:52,440 --> 00:01:56,040 Speaker 1: to issue a trigger warning because this episode does talk 33 00:01:56,080 --> 00:01:59,000 Speaker 1: about sexual assault and it's not something we can kind 34 00:01:59,000 --> 00:02:01,120 Speaker 1: of skip through really quickly because it's part of an 35 00:02:01,120 --> 00:02:04,440 Speaker 1: event in the artist's life that was quite significant. So 36 00:02:04,560 --> 00:02:06,200 Speaker 1: if that is a topic that you would rather not 37 00:02:06,280 --> 00:02:09,320 Speaker 1: hear or share with younger listeners, be advised this may 38 00:02:09,320 --> 00:02:12,600 Speaker 1: not be the episode for you. We're also going to 39 00:02:12,639 --> 00:02:15,160 Speaker 1: do something a little bit different here, and before we 40 00:02:15,200 --> 00:02:18,079 Speaker 1: actually get into Artemisia's story, we're going to talk about 41 00:02:18,120 --> 00:02:22,839 Speaker 1: her father, Orazzio Gentileski, because he was a vital part 42 00:02:22,880 --> 00:02:25,840 Speaker 1: of his daughter becoming a painter. He is an important 43 00:02:25,840 --> 00:02:28,480 Speaker 1: figure in art history and his own right, and because 44 00:02:28,480 --> 00:02:31,400 Speaker 1: the pair did collaborate, we just wanted to give you 45 00:02:31,440 --> 00:02:33,359 Speaker 1: a little bit of context on him, because he is 46 00:02:33,440 --> 00:02:37,320 Speaker 1: referenced a good bit and he's, as we said, pretty important. 47 00:02:37,360 --> 00:02:41,720 Speaker 1: So we're going to start with Orazzio's story. Arazzio was 48 00:02:41,760 --> 00:02:45,560 Speaker 1: born Orazzio Lomi in fifteen sixty two in Pisa, Italy, 49 00:02:46,840 --> 00:02:49,760 Speaker 1: and when he was still a young man, so not 50 00:02:49,840 --> 00:02:54,239 Speaker 1: a child anymore, Lomi moved to Rome, and the timing 51 00:02:54,280 --> 00:02:59,040 Speaker 1: of this move is uncertain, but most historians will date 52 00:02:59,080 --> 00:03:02,240 Speaker 1: it somewhere around the late fifteen seventies or early fifteen eighties. 53 00:03:03,320 --> 00:03:06,000 Speaker 1: He would have been roughly twenty at this time. As 54 00:03:06,240 --> 00:03:09,600 Speaker 1: a caveat sort of going forward with this episode, almost 55 00:03:09,639 --> 00:03:12,480 Speaker 1: any date that we mentioned, without with a few exceptions, 56 00:03:12,880 --> 00:03:15,720 Speaker 1: are going to be approximated, and we'll talk about that 57 00:03:15,760 --> 00:03:18,520 Speaker 1: some a little bit later. But anytime you look up 58 00:03:18,560 --> 00:03:22,560 Speaker 1: the work of Arazzio or Artemisia, when you see their 59 00:03:22,919 --> 00:03:25,880 Speaker 1: works painted, they're always circa these years or these years, 60 00:03:25,919 --> 00:03:28,520 Speaker 1: So just know we'll use some specific years, but it's 61 00:03:28,560 --> 00:03:32,839 Speaker 1: really kind of a it was around this time, so Arazzio, 62 00:03:32,880 --> 00:03:34,720 Speaker 1: like we said, would have been about twenty when he 63 00:03:34,800 --> 00:03:37,760 Speaker 1: moved to Rome in the fifteen seventies or early fifteen eighties, 64 00:03:38,080 --> 00:03:40,880 Speaker 1: and this is also roughly the time when he started painting. 65 00:03:41,680 --> 00:03:44,920 Speaker 1: Early on in his time in Rome, Arazzio worked on 66 00:03:45,040 --> 00:03:49,520 Speaker 1: church frescoes in collaboration with Agostino Tassi. Tassi was a 67 00:03:49,560 --> 00:03:52,640 Speaker 1: really well known landscape painter, and together the pair decorated 68 00:03:52,640 --> 00:03:56,840 Speaker 1: the walls of the Santa Maria Maggiore, San Giovanni La Terrano, 69 00:03:57,080 --> 00:04:01,080 Speaker 1: and Santa Nicola. I'm not quite sure exactly when Orazzi 70 00:04:01,520 --> 00:04:05,040 Speaker 1: Lomi changed his name to Gentilesci, but he did and 71 00:04:05,080 --> 00:04:09,000 Speaker 1: in the early seventeenth century he became heavily influenced by Caravaggio. 72 00:04:09,200 --> 00:04:12,680 Speaker 1: And of course Caravaggio is known for his use of contrast. 73 00:04:13,480 --> 00:04:17,479 Speaker 1: He offset light areas by deepening the shadows around them, 74 00:04:17,560 --> 00:04:20,839 Speaker 1: and this is known as tenebrism, and this created incredibly 75 00:04:20,920 --> 00:04:24,920 Speaker 1: dramatic paintings. Yeah, there are many other things that Caravaggio 76 00:04:25,040 --> 00:04:26,480 Speaker 1: is known for, but that's kind of one of the 77 00:04:26,480 --> 00:04:28,559 Speaker 1: things that when you're doing a quick art history course, 78 00:04:28,600 --> 00:04:31,880 Speaker 1: they'll mention his use of light and dark in contrast 79 00:04:31,920 --> 00:04:36,520 Speaker 1: to create great drama, and right around sixteen hundred, when 80 00:04:36,520 --> 00:04:39,080 Speaker 1: Arazzio was thirty seven and his daughter at this time 81 00:04:39,120 --> 00:04:43,080 Speaker 1: would have been about seven, Caravaggio completed two paintings that 82 00:04:43,120 --> 00:04:45,839 Speaker 1: would create this significant shift in the art world and 83 00:04:45,880 --> 00:04:48,880 Speaker 1: give rise eventually to what was called the Baroque style. 84 00:04:49,760 --> 00:04:52,839 Speaker 1: The Calling of Saint Matthew and The Martyrdom of Saint Matthew, 85 00:04:52,920 --> 00:04:56,040 Speaker 1: which are two paintings that he did roughly at the 86 00:04:56,080 --> 00:04:59,760 Speaker 1: same time, introduced this signature signature style of light and 87 00:04:59,760 --> 00:05:03,600 Speaker 1: show shadow that were juxtaposed for both dynamic tension and 88 00:05:03,720 --> 00:05:06,039 Speaker 1: also a high level of realism. 89 00:05:06,720 --> 00:05:11,039 Speaker 2: Arazzio Gentileski was mesmerized by Caravaggio, and the two of 90 00:05:11,080 --> 00:05:14,159 Speaker 2: them became friends and drinking buddies for a while. Their 91 00:05:14,240 --> 00:05:17,600 Speaker 2: camaraderie didn't really last, though both of the men had 92 00:05:17,760 --> 00:05:21,599 Speaker 2: reputations for being really hot headed, but Arozzio's work from 93 00:05:21,600 --> 00:05:27,000 Speaker 2: this period shows a Caravaggio's sway in his style. Erazzio's 94 00:05:27,000 --> 00:05:30,400 Speaker 2: paintings David and Goliath, Saint Cecilia and an Angel, and 95 00:05:30,520 --> 00:05:34,280 Speaker 2: his sixteen oh nine piece Madonna and Child really bear 96 00:05:34,320 --> 00:05:37,920 Speaker 2: a clear mark of his admiration for Caravaggio. 97 00:05:38,680 --> 00:05:41,920 Speaker 1: And of course Arozzio's style did continue to evolve, and 98 00:05:41,960 --> 00:05:46,320 Speaker 1: while that Caravaggio influence remained in his work, the paintings 99 00:05:46,360 --> 00:05:51,479 Speaker 1: that Gentileski produced going forward started to favor this sort 100 00:05:51,480 --> 00:05:55,520 Speaker 1: of lighter color palette, and it also reintegrated the mannerist 101 00:05:55,520 --> 00:05:57,560 Speaker 1: style that he had studied when he was younger. 102 00:05:58,560 --> 00:06:01,240 Speaker 2: In sixteen twenty three, he paidinted what's considered to be 103 00:06:01,320 --> 00:06:06,240 Speaker 2: his masterpiece. It was called The Annunciation. This painting features 104 00:06:06,279 --> 00:06:09,159 Speaker 2: the Virgin Mary and the Angel Gabriel, and there's still 105 00:06:09,160 --> 00:06:12,479 Speaker 2: a level of drama and immediacy about the composition, but 106 00:06:12,520 --> 00:06:16,400 Speaker 2: it's less visually heavy than the two that we mentioned 107 00:06:16,400 --> 00:06:17,120 Speaker 2: a moment ago. 108 00:06:19,279 --> 00:06:22,120 Speaker 1: And just a few years after he painted The Annunciation, 109 00:06:23,080 --> 00:06:25,960 Speaker 1: Arazzio was invited to England by King Charles, the first 110 00:06:26,000 --> 00:06:27,080 Speaker 1: to become court painter. 111 00:06:28,080 --> 00:06:32,120 Speaker 2: To finish out his artistic career, Arazzio worked alongside his 112 00:06:32,279 --> 00:06:35,720 Speaker 2: daughter Artemisia on a huge project in the Queen's House 113 00:06:35,720 --> 00:06:39,080 Speaker 2: in Greenwich. Throughout sixteen thirty eight. The father daughter team 114 00:06:39,240 --> 00:06:42,800 Speaker 2: painted the ceiling panels there. Yeah, we'll talk about those 115 00:06:42,800 --> 00:06:46,080 Speaker 2: a little bit more later. And that's just like I said. 116 00:06:46,120 --> 00:06:49,360 Speaker 2: A quick mini biography of Arazzio, And before we get 117 00:06:49,360 --> 00:06:52,640 Speaker 2: into Ardemisia's specific story, do you want to have a 118 00:06:52,680 --> 00:07:03,680 Speaker 2: word from a sponsor, Yes, I do so. 119 00:07:03,920 --> 00:07:08,120 Speaker 1: Arazzio's daughter, Artemisia Gentileski, was born in Rome, Italy, on 120 00:07:08,200 --> 00:07:11,320 Speaker 1: July eighth of fifteen ninety three, to of course, her 121 00:07:11,320 --> 00:07:17,080 Speaker 1: father Orozzio and her mother, Prudencia Montoni. When Artemisia was twelve, 122 00:07:17,120 --> 00:07:20,440 Speaker 1: which was in sixteen oh five, her mother died in childbirth, 123 00:07:20,480 --> 00:07:22,560 Speaker 1: and at that point it seemed likely that she was 124 00:07:22,560 --> 00:07:25,120 Speaker 1: probably going to be sent to a convent to become 125 00:07:25,160 --> 00:07:26,800 Speaker 1: a nun. But over the. 126 00:07:26,760 --> 00:07:30,200 Speaker 2: Next several years, Arazzio became aware that his daughter had 127 00:07:30,280 --> 00:07:32,720 Speaker 2: artistic leanings and he started to teach her how to paint. 128 00:07:33,520 --> 00:07:36,040 Speaker 1: Yeah, he also had sons, and he was kind of 129 00:07:36,080 --> 00:07:38,400 Speaker 1: teaching all of his children, but Artemisia was really the 130 00:07:38,440 --> 00:07:42,480 Speaker 1: one that stood out as having a real talent for this, 131 00:07:42,920 --> 00:07:46,640 Speaker 1: and she produced her earliest signed work in sixteen ten, 132 00:07:46,720 --> 00:07:49,240 Speaker 1: at the age of seventeen, and that's called Susanna and 133 00:07:49,240 --> 00:07:53,560 Speaker 1: the Elders, And this painting depicts the biblical story of 134 00:07:53,600 --> 00:07:56,720 Speaker 1: Susanna who rejected two men and is then accused by 135 00:07:56,800 --> 00:08:01,080 Speaker 1: them of adultery in retribution for her unwillingness to be 136 00:08:01,160 --> 00:08:04,200 Speaker 1: with them, and in Gentileski's version, the two men are 137 00:08:04,400 --> 00:08:07,320 Speaker 1: very conspiratorial. One is whispering in the ear of the other, 138 00:08:07,840 --> 00:08:11,560 Speaker 1: and while Susannah, who is unclothed, holds up her hands 139 00:08:11,600 --> 00:08:16,480 Speaker 1: as if to shield herself from their words. The next year, 140 00:08:16,880 --> 00:08:19,280 Speaker 1: and back to the warning that we had at the 141 00:08:19,320 --> 00:08:22,680 Speaker 1: top of the podcast, would turn into a really harrowing one. 142 00:08:23,160 --> 00:08:27,040 Speaker 1: On May sixth of sixteen eleven, Artemisio was raped by 143 00:08:27,040 --> 00:08:31,560 Speaker 1: her father's colleague, Augustino Tassi. This is the same landscape 144 00:08:31,560 --> 00:08:37,320 Speaker 1: painter that her father worked on church frescoes with. For 145 00:08:37,600 --> 00:08:43,040 Speaker 1: historical context, at the time, rape was not really viewed 146 00:08:43,360 --> 00:08:45,360 Speaker 1: quite the same way we do today. It was not 147 00:08:45,400 --> 00:08:48,679 Speaker 1: so much considered an affront to the female victim or 148 00:08:48,720 --> 00:08:51,440 Speaker 1: a brutalization of her. It was looked at a little 149 00:08:51,480 --> 00:08:56,400 Speaker 1: bit more as an insult to her family. So the 150 00:08:56,440 --> 00:09:00,000 Speaker 1: retribution that Arazzio demanded was that Tassi must marry his daughter. 151 00:09:01,280 --> 00:09:07,480 Speaker 1: This is actually not uncommon in sort of the kind 152 00:09:07,520 --> 00:09:09,760 Speaker 1: of sexual interactions of the day, that a man would 153 00:09:09,760 --> 00:09:11,840 Speaker 1: take a woman by force and eventually end up married 154 00:09:11,840 --> 00:09:13,720 Speaker 1: to her as part of an agreement with the family 155 00:09:14,400 --> 00:09:17,760 Speaker 1: and Initially, Agustino Tassi agreed to this. He was actually 156 00:09:17,760 --> 00:09:22,680 Speaker 1: already already married. There's some question marks around that, and 157 00:09:22,720 --> 00:09:25,360 Speaker 1: he apparently used this promise that he was going to 158 00:09:25,360 --> 00:09:29,440 Speaker 1: marry Artemisia as leverage to continue his sexual relationship with her. 159 00:09:29,960 --> 00:09:31,920 Speaker 1: But eventually he backed out of the deal and said 160 00:09:31,960 --> 00:09:33,680 Speaker 1: he was not going to marry her after all. 161 00:09:34,559 --> 00:09:37,960 Speaker 2: Tassi's reversal on the matter sent Aratzo into a fury. 162 00:09:38,559 --> 00:09:42,160 Speaker 2: He sought legal action against his associate, and this resulted 163 00:09:42,240 --> 00:09:45,920 Speaker 2: in the episode of Artemisia's life that often eclipsed her work. 164 00:09:46,000 --> 00:09:49,240 Speaker 2: It was a trial that dragged on for nearly eight months, 165 00:09:49,800 --> 00:09:52,480 Speaker 2: and the transcript of this trial still exists, and it's 166 00:09:52,520 --> 00:09:54,640 Speaker 2: more than three hundred pages long. 167 00:09:56,480 --> 00:09:58,200 Speaker 1: And I will confess I did not read it because 168 00:09:58,240 --> 00:10:01,280 Speaker 1: it is an Italian but I read various excerpts in translation. 169 00:10:01,559 --> 00:10:04,679 Speaker 1: Just fyi. And even though we mentioned it at the 170 00:10:04,679 --> 00:10:07,040 Speaker 1: top of the episode, and Tracy mentioned it again just 171 00:10:07,040 --> 00:10:09,960 Speaker 1: a moment ago, I really feel like I should issue 172 00:10:09,960 --> 00:10:12,040 Speaker 1: a quick warning before we get into sort of talking 173 00:10:12,080 --> 00:10:16,040 Speaker 1: about the testimony, because it's very upsetting, not just for 174 00:10:16,640 --> 00:10:19,400 Speaker 1: the actual event that happened, but how the victim was 175 00:10:19,440 --> 00:10:21,000 Speaker 1: treated in the process. 176 00:10:20,559 --> 00:10:25,559 Speaker 2: Of all of this, so Artemisia had to testify repeatedly 177 00:10:25,720 --> 00:10:28,160 Speaker 2: during these proceedings, and in her account, she said that 178 00:10:28,200 --> 00:10:31,319 Speaker 2: Tossi stormed into her father's studio while she was painting. 179 00:10:31,920 --> 00:10:33,960 Speaker 2: And because her father was a working painter with a 180 00:10:34,000 --> 00:10:36,720 Speaker 2: studio at his home, people did come and go all. 181 00:10:36,600 --> 00:10:40,560 Speaker 1: The time, and according to her testimony, she said that 182 00:10:40,600 --> 00:10:44,400 Speaker 1: Tossi came in yelling not so much painting repeatedly, and 183 00:10:44,400 --> 00:10:46,280 Speaker 1: then he took her tools from her and threw them 184 00:10:46,280 --> 00:10:49,200 Speaker 1: on the floor and then proceeded to attack her. She 185 00:10:49,320 --> 00:10:53,160 Speaker 1: fought back, but she was overpowered. She actually turned a 186 00:10:53,200 --> 00:10:54,760 Speaker 1: knife on him. After it was over. 187 00:10:55,280 --> 00:10:58,640 Speaker 2: It wasn't enough that she gave this testimony. The veracity 188 00:10:58,679 --> 00:11:01,160 Speaker 2: of her statement had to be tested. It was tested 189 00:11:01,160 --> 00:11:03,440 Speaker 2: by torture, using thumb screws to see if she would 190 00:11:03,520 --> 00:11:07,120 Speaker 2: change her story under duress, but she remained steadfast in 191 00:11:07,200 --> 00:11:10,160 Speaker 2: her account and eventually referred to the torture device when 192 00:11:10,280 --> 00:11:13,280 Speaker 2: yelling at her attacker, this is the ring you gave me, 193 00:11:13,640 --> 00:11:17,360 Speaker 2: and these are your promises. It's very hard for me 194 00:11:17,440 --> 00:11:22,160 Speaker 2: to think about that, especially because Agostino Tassi faced no 195 00:11:22,280 --> 00:11:25,400 Speaker 2: such torture when it came to his testimony. Even though 196 00:11:25,720 --> 00:11:28,520 Speaker 2: he had at best a checkered history, and he gave 197 00:11:28,679 --> 00:11:33,640 Speaker 2: obviously contradictory testimony. Records indicate that the judge would even 198 00:11:33,640 --> 00:11:35,800 Speaker 2: stop him periodically and go, wait, that's completely different than 199 00:11:35,800 --> 00:11:39,240 Speaker 2: what you said before. He had been imprisoned prior to 200 00:11:39,280 --> 00:11:42,800 Speaker 2: this for incest, and he had told multiple witnesses that 201 00:11:42,840 --> 00:11:45,920 Speaker 2: he had been sleeping with Artemisia, But then during the trial, 202 00:11:45,960 --> 00:11:50,120 Speaker 2: even though those witnesses had testified to those conversations, he 203 00:11:50,200 --> 00:11:52,679 Speaker 2: said that he had never had a sexual relationship with 204 00:11:52,720 --> 00:11:54,960 Speaker 2: her and that he would only visit the house to 205 00:11:55,000 --> 00:11:58,280 Speaker 2: protect her virginity from other would be rapists. So his 206 00:11:58,360 --> 00:12:00,920 Speaker 2: story kept changing, and he also claimed that she had 207 00:12:00,960 --> 00:12:03,960 Speaker 2: slept with her father, and that her mother and her aunt, 208 00:12:04,000 --> 00:12:06,480 Speaker 2: who were women that he did not know, were in 209 00:12:06,480 --> 00:12:10,640 Speaker 2: fact whoors, and he insinuated that prostitution was something of 210 00:12:10,679 --> 00:12:13,360 Speaker 2: a family tradition, and even at one point suggested that 211 00:12:13,760 --> 00:12:16,920 Speaker 2: her father had sold her to other men. In short, 212 00:12:17,080 --> 00:12:20,160 Speaker 2: he was utterly vile and just said horrible things, and 213 00:12:20,240 --> 00:12:22,360 Speaker 2: he did not have to face this horrible torture that 214 00:12:22,400 --> 00:12:25,280 Speaker 2: she did. He didn't even have to really face his sentence. 215 00:12:25,320 --> 00:12:28,000 Speaker 2: He was found guilty and exiled from Rome for five years, 216 00:12:28,520 --> 00:12:34,000 Speaker 2: but it appears that his exile was not enforced. And 217 00:12:34,280 --> 00:12:36,240 Speaker 2: a note on the timeline, We're going to jump back 218 00:12:36,240 --> 00:12:37,840 Speaker 2: a little bit and talk about that painting that we 219 00:12:37,920 --> 00:12:41,920 Speaker 2: mentioned earlier. So, because the dates of Artemisia's paintings are 220 00:12:41,920 --> 00:12:46,520 Speaker 2: generally all approximated, some people place her painting of Susannah 221 00:12:46,520 --> 00:12:51,559 Speaker 2: and the Elders in different positions, suggesting slightly different interpretations 222 00:12:51,559 --> 00:12:54,760 Speaker 2: of the work. So scholars that place it as being 223 00:12:54,800 --> 00:12:58,600 Speaker 2: painted just prior to the rape suggest that she may 224 00:12:58,640 --> 00:13:01,600 Speaker 2: have been expressing a scenario in which she had been 225 00:13:01,640 --> 00:13:04,120 Speaker 2: fending off the advances of her father's friends for a 226 00:13:04,160 --> 00:13:06,760 Speaker 2: while already, and we do know some of that was 227 00:13:06,800 --> 00:13:10,120 Speaker 2: going on. There was another man in addition to Augustino Tassi, 228 00:13:10,240 --> 00:13:14,400 Speaker 2: named Cosimo Corli, who had been pretty sexually aggressive with 229 00:13:14,440 --> 00:13:18,040 Speaker 2: her and had perhaps even attempted to rape her as well. 230 00:13:18,840 --> 00:13:19,679 Speaker 2: So the idea of. 231 00:13:19,640 --> 00:13:21,760 Speaker 1: The two men in the painting being Corley and Tassi 232 00:13:21,960 --> 00:13:26,240 Speaker 1: is certainly one possibility and is a popular interpretation. Alternately, 233 00:13:26,360 --> 00:13:30,120 Speaker 1: when scholars placed the painting of Susannah concurrently on the 234 00:13:30,120 --> 00:13:33,720 Speaker 1: timeline with the trial, or just prior but after the rape, 235 00:13:33,800 --> 00:13:37,640 Speaker 1: it's perceived more as a statement about her defense of 236 00:13:37,679 --> 00:13:40,200 Speaker 1: her virtue having been taken from her and her being 237 00:13:40,200 --> 00:13:41,720 Speaker 1: innocent in all of it. 238 00:13:42,640 --> 00:13:46,079 Speaker 2: After the Tassi ornell Artemisia did marry and she married 239 00:13:46,080 --> 00:13:48,600 Speaker 2: another painter, and this is a match that was arranged 240 00:13:48,600 --> 00:13:55,120 Speaker 2: by her father. Her husband, Pierantonio de Vicenzo Stia Tesi, 241 00:13:55,240 --> 00:13:58,800 Speaker 2: was also a painter, and the couple left Rome and 242 00:13:58,840 --> 00:14:02,280 Speaker 2: headed to Florence. Arazzio had already written to the Grand 243 00:14:02,400 --> 00:14:06,200 Speaker 2: Duchess of Tuscany on his daughter's behalf, asking for a patronage. 244 00:14:06,480 --> 00:14:10,040 Speaker 2: The patronage was granted and Artemisia and her husband stayed 245 00:14:10,040 --> 00:14:12,559 Speaker 2: in Florence for almost a decade. While she was there, 246 00:14:12,600 --> 00:14:15,240 Speaker 2: she was producing works for the Grand Duke of Tuscany, 247 00:14:15,360 --> 00:14:18,319 Speaker 2: Kuosimud di Medici, and she became really ingrained in the 248 00:14:18,400 --> 00:14:20,120 Speaker 2: art world there and she made a lot of friends. 249 00:14:20,640 --> 00:14:25,040 Speaker 2: She even became friends with famed astronomer Galileo. One of 250 00:14:25,080 --> 00:14:27,520 Speaker 2: the paintings that Artemisia worked on during her time in 251 00:14:27,560 --> 00:14:32,000 Speaker 2: Florence was Judith's Slaying Holofernes, And as with Susannah and 252 00:14:32,000 --> 00:14:35,320 Speaker 2: the Elders, it focuses on a female character, and in 253 00:14:35,320 --> 00:14:39,160 Speaker 2: this case that's Judith and she's killing the Assyrian military 254 00:14:39,240 --> 00:14:43,080 Speaker 2: leader holophernes to save the Jewish people of Bethulia, and 255 00:14:43,160 --> 00:14:48,360 Speaker 2: this painting is quite graphic. Her painting shows Judith cutting 256 00:14:48,400 --> 00:14:51,880 Speaker 2: the general's throat with the assistance of a handmaiden, and 257 00:14:51,920 --> 00:14:55,000 Speaker 2: in a follow up painting entitled Judith and her maid Servant, 258 00:14:55,080 --> 00:14:58,040 Speaker 2: the two women are depicted after the general's defeat, carrying 259 00:14:58,080 --> 00:15:02,880 Speaker 2: the head of Holophernies in a basket. A popular theory 260 00:15:02,960 --> 00:15:06,280 Speaker 2: about these paintings, particularly the first, is that this was 261 00:15:06,320 --> 00:15:09,440 Speaker 2: part of how Gentileski was working through her experience of 262 00:15:09,480 --> 00:15:12,960 Speaker 2: having been sexually assaulted and then having to go through 263 00:15:13,000 --> 00:15:16,080 Speaker 2: the horror of that long trial, and that depicting a 264 00:15:16,080 --> 00:15:19,640 Speaker 2: woman enacting such brutal violence on a male figure was 265 00:15:19,720 --> 00:15:23,240 Speaker 2: something of a revenge statement when the painting was unveiled. This, 266 00:15:23,320 --> 00:15:26,040 Speaker 2: of course, is all speculative, though it's all art interpretation, 267 00:15:27,280 --> 00:15:29,560 Speaker 2: and also as a counterpoint, there are scholars who are 268 00:15:29,600 --> 00:15:32,040 Speaker 2: quick to point out that there was definitely a taste 269 00:15:32,120 --> 00:15:35,480 Speaker 2: for violence and gore amongst art patrons at the time, 270 00:15:36,080 --> 00:15:39,280 Speaker 2: so she may well have just been making lucrative decisions 271 00:15:39,320 --> 00:15:42,400 Speaker 2: about her work subjects. There's a two thousand and two 272 00:15:42,480 --> 00:15:45,840 Speaker 2: interview with Smithsonian in which Judith Man, who's a curator 273 00:15:45,960 --> 00:15:49,560 Speaker 2: of early European art at the Saint Louis Art Museum 274 00:15:49,600 --> 00:15:52,640 Speaker 2: at the time, and she mentioned that while a lot 275 00:15:52,720 --> 00:15:57,680 Speaker 2: is made of Artemisia's work being vengeful in nature, fewer 276 00:15:57,680 --> 00:16:00,520 Speaker 2: than a quarter of the painter's works feature women in 277 00:16:00,560 --> 00:16:05,360 Speaker 2: that vein. And before we get to what happens to 278 00:16:05,440 --> 00:16:08,520 Speaker 2: Artemisia after she leaves Florence, do you want to have 279 00:16:08,520 --> 00:16:19,480 Speaker 2: another quick word from a sponsor, let's do so. 280 00:16:19,600 --> 00:16:23,800 Speaker 1: Back to Artemisia around sixteen twenty, she was ready to 281 00:16:23,880 --> 00:16:27,960 Speaker 1: leave Florence. She and her husband had had four children together, 282 00:16:28,040 --> 00:16:31,280 Speaker 1: but three of them did not make it past childhood. 283 00:16:31,280 --> 00:16:34,479 Speaker 1: They died, and moreover, her marriage was not a particularly 284 00:16:34,520 --> 00:16:38,480 Speaker 1: happy one. Pierre Antonio had a problem with spending money 285 00:16:38,480 --> 00:16:41,080 Speaker 1: more quickly than they were taking it in, and he's 286 00:16:41,120 --> 00:16:44,160 Speaker 1: alleged to have cheated on her repeatedly, and just sort 287 00:16:44,160 --> 00:16:46,920 Speaker 1: of that. They had a contentious and unhappy union. 288 00:16:47,600 --> 00:16:52,120 Speaker 2: So, perhaps hoping for a fresh start, Artemisia, Parantonio and 289 00:16:52,160 --> 00:16:56,160 Speaker 2: their surviving child, who was named Prudentia, moved to Rome, and, 290 00:16:56,240 --> 00:16:58,880 Speaker 2: as had been the case in Florence, the painter made 291 00:16:58,920 --> 00:17:02,160 Speaker 2: friends within the art community, and this put a strain 292 00:17:02,280 --> 00:17:07,000 Speaker 2: on her already crumbling marriage. Pier Antonio actually slashed the 293 00:17:07,040 --> 00:17:10,400 Speaker 2: face of one of Artemisia's male acquaintances, and not long 294 00:17:10,440 --> 00:17:13,520 Speaker 2: after that he left the marriage for good, leaving behind 295 00:17:13,520 --> 00:17:18,840 Speaker 2: his daughter as well. So roughly ten to twelve years 296 00:17:18,880 --> 00:17:21,239 Speaker 2: after she had painted the image of Judith and her 297 00:17:21,280 --> 00:17:26,920 Speaker 2: maid servant carrying the severed head of Holophernes, Artemisia revisited 298 00:17:26,960 --> 00:17:29,679 Speaker 2: that same subject of Judith again in her work, and 299 00:17:29,760 --> 00:17:33,040 Speaker 2: this was somewhere around sixteen twenty three or sixteen twenty five, 300 00:17:33,119 --> 00:17:35,879 Speaker 2: so it was during her time in Rome, and the 301 00:17:35,920 --> 00:17:38,439 Speaker 2: painting that she created at this point was Judith and 302 00:17:38,480 --> 00:17:42,200 Speaker 2: her maid servant with the head of Holofernes. This time 303 00:17:42,280 --> 00:17:44,880 Speaker 2: it's still a depiction of two women and again after 304 00:17:44,920 --> 00:17:47,480 Speaker 2: the beheading, and it's in a way that creates tension 305 00:17:47,560 --> 00:17:51,000 Speaker 2: and urgency. The scene is lit by candle light, and 306 00:17:51,160 --> 00:17:54,159 Speaker 2: that candle light itself is part of the composition. The 307 00:17:54,280 --> 00:17:57,920 Speaker 2: light and shadows she creates around that light source are 308 00:17:57,920 --> 00:18:01,720 Speaker 2: just incredible. Even the gossip fabric that's draped over one 309 00:18:01,720 --> 00:18:04,639 Speaker 2: of Judith's shoulders is affected by the light of the 310 00:18:04,720 --> 00:18:07,280 Speaker 2: flame in a way that makes the candle almost seem 311 00:18:07,400 --> 00:18:11,679 Speaker 2: like it must be flickering. There's also a less This 312 00:18:11,800 --> 00:18:14,720 Speaker 2: is also a less brutal representation of the story than 313 00:18:14,760 --> 00:18:19,560 Speaker 2: the earlier works. There's a lot less gore. Yet it 314 00:18:19,680 --> 00:18:23,080 Speaker 2: feels a little bit more like it is less about 315 00:18:23,119 --> 00:18:25,600 Speaker 2: the murder and more about the two women, if that 316 00:18:25,680 --> 00:18:28,960 Speaker 2: makes sense. I will be pinning all of these on Pinterest, 317 00:18:29,000 --> 00:18:30,679 Speaker 2: and then our listeners can go and kind of get 318 00:18:30,720 --> 00:18:32,560 Speaker 2: a sense of what we're talking about and decide for 319 00:18:32,600 --> 00:18:33,919 Speaker 2: themselves how they feel. 320 00:18:33,640 --> 00:18:37,760 Speaker 1: Like it looks. And while she was not the toast 321 00:18:37,760 --> 00:18:39,880 Speaker 1: of Rome the way that she had been in Florence, 322 00:18:40,760 --> 00:18:44,000 Speaker 1: and this was largely due to shifting tastes among art patrons, 323 00:18:45,320 --> 00:18:48,440 Speaker 1: Gentileski did receive a commission from King Philip the fourth 324 00:18:48,440 --> 00:18:51,960 Speaker 1: of Spain in sixteen twenty seven, and this particular project 325 00:18:52,200 --> 00:18:54,439 Speaker 1: provided her enough money that she could stay afloat and 326 00:18:54,480 --> 00:18:55,680 Speaker 1: also support her daughter. 327 00:18:56,560 --> 00:18:59,840 Speaker 2: In sixteen thirty, the Bubonic plague took a huge t 328 00:19:00,280 --> 00:19:03,520 Speaker 2: on Venice that killed a third of the people there, 329 00:19:03,560 --> 00:19:08,240 Speaker 2: and to escape the sickness, Gentileski moved to Naples. 330 00:19:08,680 --> 00:19:12,520 Speaker 1: Yeah, this, other than a brief fora elsewhere which we're 331 00:19:12,520 --> 00:19:15,080 Speaker 1: about to talk about, Naples really became her home for 332 00:19:15,119 --> 00:19:19,159 Speaker 1: the rest of her life. Around sixteen thirty eight or 333 00:19:19,200 --> 00:19:22,120 Speaker 1: sixteen thirty nine, depending on when you look, but most 334 00:19:22,160 --> 00:19:25,240 Speaker 1: favor sixteen thirty eight, she went to London to work 335 00:19:25,280 --> 00:19:29,480 Speaker 1: with her father on the Queen's House for Queen Henrietta Maria, 336 00:19:30,119 --> 00:19:32,879 Speaker 1: and she had resisted several requests to go to London 337 00:19:32,960 --> 00:19:35,760 Speaker 1: prior to this, in part because she did not want 338 00:19:35,800 --> 00:19:39,399 Speaker 1: to work for the Anglican king, although Queen Henrietta Maria 339 00:19:39,520 --> 00:19:42,960 Speaker 1: was Roman Catholic. But frankly, her work had really dried 340 00:19:43,000 --> 00:19:45,520 Speaker 1: up in Italy. She was having trouble making ends meet, 341 00:19:45,600 --> 00:19:50,120 Speaker 1: so she finally acquiesced on this trip to London. During 342 00:19:50,119 --> 00:19:52,840 Speaker 1: the work on a house at Greenwich, Arazzio died, and 343 00:19:52,880 --> 00:19:56,720 Speaker 1: that was in February of sixteen thirty nine. Artemisia stayed 344 00:19:56,760 --> 00:19:59,320 Speaker 1: in London for a couple of more years, but as 345 00:19:59,359 --> 00:20:01,480 Speaker 1: soon as she had work back in Italy, she went 346 00:20:01,520 --> 00:20:04,720 Speaker 1: back to Naples. Yeah, and she continued to work for 347 00:20:04,760 --> 00:20:08,040 Speaker 1: the rest of her life. But she died in Naples 348 00:20:08,040 --> 00:20:10,840 Speaker 1: around sixteen fifty two. She would have been approximately fifty 349 00:20:10,920 --> 00:20:13,480 Speaker 1: nine at that time, and while she had been painting, 350 00:20:14,400 --> 00:20:18,560 Speaker 1: really most art scholars kind of regard her earlier works 351 00:20:18,600 --> 00:20:23,280 Speaker 1: as her best work. So for a long time, Artemisia's 352 00:20:23,280 --> 00:20:26,480 Speaker 1: works were actually attributed to other artists, and this was 353 00:20:26,520 --> 00:20:29,160 Speaker 1: in part due to the fact that her father had 354 00:20:29,200 --> 00:20:31,960 Speaker 1: been her primary teacher, as well as the fact that 355 00:20:32,000 --> 00:20:35,439 Speaker 1: she was a woman, and there are even sort of 356 00:20:35,440 --> 00:20:39,520 Speaker 1: ongoing debates about this. We mentioned earlier that Susannah and 357 00:20:39,520 --> 00:20:41,919 Speaker 1: the Elders was her first sign painting, and that was 358 00:20:42,040 --> 00:20:45,240 Speaker 1: in about sixteen ten, But there is another piece called 359 00:20:45,240 --> 00:20:48,040 Speaker 1: Madonna and Child from sixteen oh nine that is sometimes 360 00:20:48,040 --> 00:20:51,040 Speaker 1: credited to Artemisia and sometimes to her father. We mentioned 361 00:20:51,040 --> 00:20:53,840 Speaker 1: it earlier as one of her father's pieces, but that 362 00:20:54,560 --> 00:20:57,920 Speaker 1: continues to be some debate about it. Even though Susannah 363 00:20:57,960 --> 00:21:01,719 Speaker 1: and the Elders has her signature, it was long believed 364 00:21:01,760 --> 00:21:04,080 Speaker 1: to be her father's work because a lot of people 365 00:21:04,080 --> 00:21:06,440 Speaker 1: found it really difficult to believe that a young woman 366 00:21:06,480 --> 00:21:11,200 Speaker 1: of seventeen could paint with that much maturity, and also 367 00:21:11,240 --> 00:21:13,520 Speaker 1: because she was a woman, that rape that had so 368 00:21:13,680 --> 00:21:18,160 Speaker 1: affected her life we mentioned earlier sometimes really overshadowed her 369 00:21:18,200 --> 00:21:21,359 Speaker 1: abilities in her work, and having been part of a 370 00:21:21,440 --> 00:21:24,719 Speaker 1: rape trial basically cast doubt on her sexuality and her 371 00:21:24,760 --> 00:21:28,880 Speaker 1: honor for her entire life, even though the aggressor had 372 00:21:28,880 --> 00:21:31,159 Speaker 1: been found guilty, it still just kind of put a 373 00:21:31,160 --> 00:21:34,960 Speaker 1: stain on her reputation. And even prior to that assault, 374 00:21:35,480 --> 00:21:39,080 Speaker 1: her reputation was constantly questioned because of the open nature 375 00:21:39,080 --> 00:21:42,160 Speaker 1: of her father's studio and the men and women who 376 00:21:42,200 --> 00:21:45,119 Speaker 1: often visited as both colleagues and models. Just the idea 377 00:21:45,160 --> 00:21:47,679 Speaker 1: that she was exposed to so many people coming and 378 00:21:47,720 --> 00:21:51,959 Speaker 1: going led to some rumors about her. So while her 379 00:21:51,960 --> 00:21:54,919 Speaker 1: talent was really obvious, people really wanted to talk about 380 00:21:55,080 --> 00:21:59,040 Speaker 1: the possible scandals attached to her. Her amazing skill in 381 00:21:59,080 --> 00:22:02,000 Speaker 1: the amazing work she is doing. For her own part, 382 00:22:02,160 --> 00:22:06,240 Speaker 1: she readily recognized and openly discussed her struggles working in 383 00:22:06,280 --> 00:22:09,080 Speaker 1: a field that was dominated by men. In a letter 384 00:22:09,160 --> 00:22:12,040 Speaker 1: to a patron later in her life, she described the 385 00:22:12,200 --> 00:22:15,200 Speaker 1: tiresome nature of trying to defend her work as her 386 00:22:15,280 --> 00:22:17,920 Speaker 1: own and the fight to get a fair price for it. 387 00:22:18,240 --> 00:22:20,879 Speaker 1: She wrote, you feel sorry for me because a woman's 388 00:22:20,960 --> 00:22:23,600 Speaker 1: name raises doubts until her work is seen. If I 389 00:22:23,640 --> 00:22:25,920 Speaker 1: were a man, I can't imagine it would have turned 390 00:22:25,960 --> 00:22:29,919 Speaker 1: out this way. But it's also important to note that 391 00:22:32,040 --> 00:22:33,960 Speaker 1: there was also a lot of a claim for her 392 00:22:34,000 --> 00:22:37,520 Speaker 1: in her lifetime, and in fact, some scholars have suggested 393 00:22:37,520 --> 00:22:40,560 Speaker 1: that because of the huge scandal when she was seventeen, 394 00:22:41,080 --> 00:22:43,119 Speaker 1: it actually kind of opened the door for her to 395 00:22:43,160 --> 00:22:47,240 Speaker 1: be able to paint some of her more gory and 396 00:22:47,320 --> 00:22:51,119 Speaker 1: graphic pieces. That it was more accepted for her at 397 00:22:51,119 --> 00:22:53,080 Speaker 1: that point to be able to do those things, but 398 00:22:54,240 --> 00:22:58,000 Speaker 1: still again an issue of debate. In sixteen thirty five, though, 399 00:22:58,040 --> 00:23:01,439 Speaker 1: she wrote this note to her friend Galilee quote, I 400 00:23:01,480 --> 00:23:03,959 Speaker 1: have seen myself honored by all the kings and rulers 401 00:23:04,000 --> 00:23:06,440 Speaker 1: of Europe, to whom I have sent my works, not 402 00:23:06,480 --> 00:23:09,400 Speaker 1: only with great gifts, but also with most favored letters, 403 00:23:09,520 --> 00:23:10,560 Speaker 1: which I keep with me. 404 00:23:11,920 --> 00:23:14,720 Speaker 2: Those ceiling panels that she and her father worked on 405 00:23:14,760 --> 00:23:17,639 Speaker 2: together in London were removed from the Queen's House and 406 00:23:17,680 --> 00:23:21,640 Speaker 2: now they're in Marlborough House in London. And in two 407 00:23:21,680 --> 00:23:24,400 Speaker 2: thousand and two, so it's more than a decade ago, 408 00:23:24,440 --> 00:23:29,000 Speaker 2: but quite neat the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art 409 00:23:29,000 --> 00:23:33,359 Speaker 2: hosted an exhibit entitled Arazzio and Artemisio Gentileski, father and 410 00:23:33,480 --> 00:23:36,080 Speaker 2: daughter painters in Baroque Italy, and the works of both 411 00:23:36,119 --> 00:23:39,399 Speaker 2: of the artists were featured together, which is kind of 412 00:23:39,400 --> 00:23:44,560 Speaker 2: a lovely wait to sum up their lives and how 413 00:23:44,600 --> 00:23:48,080 Speaker 2: they affected one another, and we'll link to We have 414 00:23:48,400 --> 00:23:51,359 Speaker 2: one of the catalogs from that exhibition was one of 415 00:23:51,359 --> 00:23:53,960 Speaker 2: my sources, so we'll have a link to that in 416 00:23:54,000 --> 00:23:56,400 Speaker 2: the show notes. And it's worth a look because it's 417 00:23:56,520 --> 00:23:59,440 Speaker 2: very interesting to see sort of the lineage and development 418 00:23:59,440 --> 00:24:01,840 Speaker 2: of style. You can see like the Caravaggio style and 419 00:24:02,240 --> 00:24:04,640 Speaker 2: a lot in her father's work, and then it evolves 420 00:24:04,640 --> 00:24:07,320 Speaker 2: in his work, and then her work kind of evolves 421 00:24:07,320 --> 00:24:09,280 Speaker 2: it some more. It's it's pretty interesting to look at 422 00:24:09,320 --> 00:24:17,520 Speaker 2: if you're into art history. Thanks so much for joining 423 00:24:17,600 --> 00:24:20,320 Speaker 2: us on this Saturday. Since this episode is out of 424 00:24:20,359 --> 00:24:22,320 Speaker 2: the archive, if you heard an email address or a 425 00:24:22,320 --> 00:24:25,200 Speaker 2: Facebook RL or something similar over the course of the show, 426 00:24:25,359 --> 00:24:29,199 Speaker 2: that could be obsolete now. 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