Artemesia Gentileschi - Assignment Example

Artemesia Gentileschi, was an Italian painter who has been considered as one of the most highly skilled painters during the generation when the worldof art has been strongly influenced by the styles of Caravaggio. By careful observation of her paintings, it could be vividly understood that her works has been influenced by the styles of Caravaggio. As an Italian painter Caravaggio was noted with the definitive use of shadows in his paintings, giving his subjects with the contrast of shadows and lights to achieve serious and astonishing effect. He used the technique called Chiaroscuro, wherein he darkens the shadow, then let some rays of light fall into some portions of the subject which will soon gave more expression and mood. Artimisia, was able to acquire the same caliber in portraying her subjects in many of her paintings. The realistic presentation of human figures, the contrast of lights and shadows, the space, the impression and mood that appeared in her works could compete with the works of many male painters that became popular during her time. She has a brilliant ability to construct her ideas and interweave it into a subjects that vividly manifest invididual expressionism, which could be sorted out from her very own painful experiences in life. Her eyes were meant to see the exact details and aesthetically transfer it into canvas with clarity and glamour. The standard that she possessed as an artist in her life could not be belittled, because her ability showed how everyone including woman could not be disregarded in acquiring skills that the world could admire. There is nothing in her works that could not make her renowned, the very credentials that would represent not only her individual essence, but the women that have come after her and became succesful in the world of art competing to other male artists. Her artistic rendition of her historical and religious paintings, particularly heroic themes meet the standard of baroque era and at the same time the early manifestation of feminism in the 17th century artistic movement. Her paintings could be exactly described as possessing the ideas of the wake of feminism in early art history. She was able to relate her struggle as a woman to her versions of Death of Holophernes and Susanna and the Elders. Her paintings do not just have the aim to provide or to show a particular event, but the role of the woman in the society, at the same time, the kind of ill-treatment they receive from people during the baroque era. Regardless of her skill and potential as an artist, she was not given the chance to go to an art school because of the kind of indiscrimination that women suffer from the society in terms of their acces to education in that period. Any man could easily get into an academy of art and develop her potentials, which are things that woman could not normally get during the seventeenth century. Despite of unequal access to education during that time, it has not been a hindrance to Artimisia to unleash her artistic potentials. First she was able to assist her father in some of her father’s work which has become the initial foundation of her ability as a painter. Second, she could learn the concepts and techniques of painting with the help of people who can teach her privately. Because of that situation, and with the love of art, her father let her to be tutored by Tassi, who raped her. A trial happened, wherein Artimisia has been tortured, which has been a part of the trial in order to prove that she was telling the truth to the court. She suffered pain from thumbscrews as the court verified if her statement about the rape complaint they are telling is true or not. This event in her life is such a bitter thing for a person to experience. First, that she would not be able to go to an academy because she was a woman, and woman could not enter in the academy of the art during that time. Second, that she was raped, and then now, they doubt the validity of her complaints. Because of this painful experience in life, she was then able to produce her great pieces, which shows the power that the woman has, ready to be unleashed, but still, things that were not given to women during her time. She has made the characters of Sussana and the Elders with the artistic qualities of Caravaggio and the expressionist idea of a woman who suffered bitterness in life. In her work, Sussana and the Elders, she realistically show, how the two elders take advantage of woman, which could exactly be related with the same thing that happened to her when she was raped. The act of unwillingness could be clearly scene from the face of Sussana as the elders insist their evil intention to her. The two elders seemed to have been undmindful of Sussana as they watches her naked. Sussana is a historical figure from the the books of Apocrypha, which is a Jewish woman who happened to have a bath in a close room. Without her knowledge two elders sneaked to watch her with their evil intention. Upon seeing that the maids of Sussana has left, they rushed into the place where Sussana bathe and insist to get Sussana’s consent to make love with them or else, if she would not let them, they will tell everyone that Sussana has an affair with a boy and that is the reason why she sent out her maids is for them to meet in that place. Sussana resisted by telling that she is willing to bear the consequence of not giving her consent, whatever evil things the elders might make to blackmale, because she does not want to sin to the Lord. Right after that she screamed to prevent the two elders from doing their wicked plan. That is the exact scene that Artemesia has painted. She created every character to serve the purpose of her artistic freedom, and concentrated the emotion of unwillingness and refusal to the face and posture of Sussana. In a closer analysis, these things showed the figure of male gender dominance which Artimisia herself has observed. She could see how male may be taking advantage of women because they were women, and frequently became subjects of male sexual desires. In Sussana and the Elders, it could be observe how Sussana strongly refuse such impression that any man could have for a woman, the same thing, an impression, that many people in the society has during the time when she was under court trial for filing the rape case against her tutor. The court has doubted her credibility, the reason why she was subjected to vaginal examination and torture just to prove that she was telling the truth. In her version of The Death of Holophernes, she captured the artistic quality of Caravaggio, but enlivens the scene by means of showing a more powerful female characters.In this painting she showed a character from the Bible in the person of Judith, a Jewish woman who was able to kill an Assyrian general Holophernes. Judith was a Jewish widow who was able to win the sympathy of the Assyrian general because of her beauty. But with her loyalty to the people of Israelites, she beheaded Holophernes with the sword and killed him. This rendition of her character of Judith acted like a voice that shout for womanhood, the power, the potential, the skills, the rights that woman has, but still the society failed to recognize. It is not the inequality that she portrayed here, unlike in the Sussana and the Elders where she portrayed women’s suffer of inequality. She showed here that woman could not be disregarded, nor be set aside because of their gender differences, but could be also as lethal as man, in terms of the things that they could achieve. Their beauty as woman could be the subject for man’s desire, as in the case of Judith, but in the same way, inside that beauty were the innate abilities that a woman possess in her heart, that can compete or even become even stronger that what man has. Imagine, how Judith was able to put an Assyrian general down because of her charm and also her determination to do something heroic for the sake of her nation. Her change of focus to her subjects showed her feminist ideas. First, she did not show her characters in an erotic way, by which many artist during her time might be presenting it. Instead, she focused on her message rather than to the concept of eroticism in classical arts. Though naked, the focus on the Sussana and the Elders was not the naked body, but as a whole, the overall presentation of making a woman as a sexual subject and gender inequality. Much vividly, it also showed how a woman might be refusing being sexual subjects as men might be enjoying to be so. In Death of Holophernes, she pictured here much of women power than her weakness. Meaning, there could be found something in a woman that could considerably her unique strength. This is how she changed her focus, which clearly showed the feminist content in her art. Seventeenth century is dominated by type of artistic rendition that depicts perfect shape of human figure. Most of the subject, during this classical era attempts to focus on showing human body in an attractive and appealing form, and this is common in almos all of the human subject. Well developed muscles as well as nude male and female bodies are frequently used to depict scenes and characters. Baroque artist are fascinated by making an art that could capture the interest of the spectator by means of perfectly showing how male and female bodies would look like in different angles. Male artist have another version than what of Artemesia has, with focus that is fairly different from the manner by which Artemesia presented the character of Judith. In the work of Kimt, an Austrian artist of the nineteenth century, his painting is more erotic than feminist. Decorated with an ornate art, he presented Judith into two consecutive paintings by means of showing her beauty in contrast with the kind of presentation done by Artemesia. She concentrated by showing woman power in her work. On the other hand, Kimt concentrated on show the charm and beauty that Judith possess. He make Judith more of male interpretation than of depicting her with feminist idea. First, Kimt concentrated on showing Judith posing with breast exposures, which is common form of how male present female figures in an erotic way. Second, he presented Judith, in a painting decorated with different patterns of clothing, background designs, and goldern colors to heighten feminine beauty. It does not meant to bear any symbolism for a woman struggling for a social figure or battling against discrimination. It does not also show a woman with her heroic action of beheading the enemy of her nation, but a woman that possesses her attractive physical qualities that could capture the admiration of spectators. Though Artemesia have not received a formal education to the academy of the art, she was able to paved her way to succes and has shown that a woman could not be discriminated in terms of skills. Her feminist qualities made her strong that despite of the painful events that happened in her life, she was able to be popular and valuable in the society where she lived. During her time and until now, she was still recognized as one of the most highly skilled painters that lived during the seventeenth century. She was able to successfully show her feminist point of view in her art, and faced the political and social challenges of her time. Works Cited: Broude, N. and Garrard M., D., eds. Mary D.: Feminism. and Art HistoryQuestioning the Litany, New York, 1982, 331-46. Read More