Artemisia Gentileschi
"Self-Portrait as the Allegory of Painting"
1639
British Royal Collection
Artemisia Gentileschi's famous "Self-Portrait as the Allegory of Painting" is unique and notable amongst other self-portraits by artists of the period for several reasons. Though the circumstances surrounding its creation are interesting and important in their own right, this analysis will focus on the formal qualities of the painting, establishing its visual properties as the basis for further analysis of its place in art history in later papers.
Also known as "Autoritratto in veste di Pittura," in Italian, this is an easel painting that measures approximately 38 inches by 29 inches, and is painted in oil. The work features an image of the artist in the action of painting at her easel, from a side view. This is notable and unique amongst self-portraits of painters in her time period because the convention was for the artist to be posed in front of the easel, looking out at the viewer; an effect of both the self-fashioning ideal of the time period as well as the physical properties of drawing and painting from observation by looking directly at a mirror. Gentileschi has chosen a dynamic action and rendered it from the side, which sets this painting apart. In order to get the side view, rather than a rigid frontal pose, she would have had to have used reflections from two mirrors, a clever solution to a complex drawing problem.
The composition places the main mass of the figure on the right side of the canvas, making good use of the rule of thirds. The artist is seen looking up and to the left, implying a gaze at an easel which isn't visible in the picture. Her left hand holds a palette and brushes at the ready; her right hand delicately brushes at the far left edge of the picture, which stops at the tip of the brush before the easel is visible. This is a dynamic composition which is contained in a small space and implies quite a bit outside of the frame.
Gentileschi's color palette for this picture is very warm, comprised mostly of dark oranges and umbers, as well as dark yellow-greens. The light source exists outside the frame, illuminating the artist from the upper left of where she is standing in the image. The effect is to cast fairly hard and dark tenebrous shadows similar to the style of Caravaggio. The chiaroscuro effects in the painting give the figure a suitable amount of mass and depth. The artist appears as though she could come right out of the painting.
Returning to the idea of self-fashioning, Gentileschi has portrayed herself in a fancy green silk dress, the drapery of which shimmers in the light, and which has puffy lace trim. She wears a gold chain necklace which holds a small pendant of a face or mask, a fine detail which may go unnoticed without close observation from the viewer. This representation of the artist in fine clothing which would never realistically be worn while working at the easel is consistent with the idea of self-fashioning, but also contains a good deal of symbolism relating to the allegory of painting, which will be discussed in later papers. In any event, her handling of the drawing problems of the perspective, and the light effects of the shimmering drapery, clearly identify her as a master of her craft.
Artemisia Gentileschi
"Susanna and the Elders"
1610
Schonborn Collection, Pommersfelden
Susanna and the Elders is the earliest painting attributed to Artemisia, completed when she was just seventeen years old. Early art historians attributed the painting to Artemisia's father Orazio, whose studio she trained in as a child. However, Artemisia's signature can be found in the lower left side of the image, in the shadow cast by Susanna.
The subject matter of the painting is a story from the bible, in which Susanna, an innocent and righteous young woman is subjected to sexual harassment from the old men in her community. Earlier male artists had depicted the scene with Susanna acting in a flirtatious and approving manner. Artemisia's take on the story depicts Susanna as being revolted and resistant to the advances of the leering elders. The colors are naturalistic, being somewhat desaturated and pastel-y. Even in this early painting, Artemisia proves that she has a strong command of colore and disegno, drawing perfectly from nature to capture the anatomy and weight of the subjects.
Artemisia Gentileschi
"Judith and her Maidservant"
1614
Palazzo Pitti, Florence
Just four years after completing "Susanna and the Elders," Artemisia had another hit with "Judith and her Maidservant," an early precursor to her most famous work, "Judith slaying Holofernes." "Judith and her Maidservant" marks a stylistic departure and evolution in technique from the earlier "Susanna." The figures are composed to fill the entire frame, with the unusual decision of placing the principle figure, Judith, partially obscured behind the Maidservant in the foreground. The composition is tightly packed, with the Maidservant's right shoulder hugging the right side of the frame, and her extended left arm and hand, holding the basket with the severed head of Holofernes, closely grazing the left side of the frame. The tops of both figures heads are close to the top of the frame. Judith's figure occupies the triangular space that is created by the Maidservant's head straining to look off frame and the sagging weight of the basket she holds. This dynamic composition is distinct from the earlier "Susanna."
Another important distinction from Artemisia's earlier work is her use of tenebrous shadows and a more refined, warmer color palette. The figures in this image emerge from a black background, suggesting the blanket of night that under which they carry out their mission. The scene is devoid of sky and architecture in the background, lending to the feeling of confined spaces in which the women do the work. The drapery of the costumes that the characters are dressed in is also rendered fantastically, with a much higher degree of realism and detail, both in the structure of the folds and the range of value and hue in the chiaroscuro, compared to the "Susanna" piece. This painting reflects a greater influence of Caravaggio on the artist than the Michelangelo-influenced "Susanna," and appears to lay some of the technical groundwork for the artist's "Self-Portrait as the Allegory of Painting."
Artemisia Gentileschi
"Self-Portrait as Female Martyr"
c. 1615
Private Collection
The "Self-Portrait as a Female Martyr" is a more traditional self-portrait than the later "Allegory of Painting." The picture is small in scale, approximately 32 x 24 cm, as was common for self-portraits during the time period. The composition is basic, showing the head and shoulders of the subject in three-quarters profile, gazing directly out at the viewer. This is a very traditional self-portrait. The scale of the painting was common for self-portraits that artists would have made as promotional material to attract prospective patrons. Considering that this image was created relatively early in the artist's career, it isn't too much a stretch to imagine that this is one of those types of paintings. This image lacks the dynamic narrative qualities and composition of the earlier "Judith." Rather, it seems to be indicative of the painter's abilities as a colorist, with realistically rendered flesh tones in a somewhat soft focus, including a rosy blush in the cheek that gives the image a liveliness. In the portrait she is portrayed wearing silk scarves on her neck and head; the shimmering highlights in the material reveal a high degree of skill in rendering the textures of draped materials. This is a competent painting that reveals the artist's skill, but lacks some of the stylistic hallmarks that make Artemisia well-known, such as the dynamic shadows and narrative.
Artemisia Gentileschi
"Self-Portrait as Lute Player"
1617
Curtis Galleries, Minneapolis
The "Self-Portrait as Lute Player" is quite distinct from the earlier self-portraits of Artemisia. The field of view is pulled back to encompass not only the head and shoulders, but most of the subject's torso as well. The painting has the hard tenebrous shadows that would become a hallmark of her works. The figure forms a strong triangle within the almost square frame, and is emerging from the shadows a black background. This is the influence of Caravaggio being carried over from her earlier work, "Judith and her Maidservant." This work also borrows some compositional elements from that earlier work, with the negative space triangle in the upper left and the hand on the left side of the frame being lower. Here, the artist has portrayed herself, not as an artist at the easel, but as a lute player, perhaps in a nod to the Baroque idea of self-fashioning. She is wearing a noblewoman's dress, crafted of fine blue silk. Like the earlier "Judith," this image closely hugs the edge of the frame. Without the historical context, it would be easy to mistake this painting for a portrait of some other person, perhaps a commission that the artist took on. There is nothing in the image to indicate that the subject herself is also the artist. However, the dress of a noblewoman and the inclusion of the lute indicate that Artemisia was well educated and is fashioning herself as such. The lute was a common attribute of St. Cecilia, and makes an appearance in later paintings by the artist. In this way, Artemisia is alluding to her own education in literature and the arts, if not music as well. This painting is more representative of Artemisia's refined Caravaggistic style than her previous self-portrait as martyr.
Artemisia Gentileschi
"St. Catherine of Alexandria"
c. 1620
Uffizi Gallery, Florence
Here, Artemisia has borrowed many of the conventions of her own self-portrait as lute player. The composition is quite similar, though there are some important differences. Perhaps most notably, the subject's gaze is directed off the canvas, rather than outward directly at the viewer. If she didn't paint this from a different model, it could have perhaps served as a prototype for the two-mirror solution that the "Allegory of Painting" self-portrait employed later. The gaze is reflected in the figure's body language and gesture, indicating that the direction of the eyes was not merely changed later as an afterthought from a mirror drawing.
The shadows in this image are harder as well, and the color palette is more similar to a Caravaggio painting, with an abundance of red and warm hues and a total absence of blue. The saint is pictured with her attribute, the wheel, extending off the canvas. This is also reminiscent of a Caravaggisti style, recalling Caravaggio's "Conversion of St. Paul." Finally, the hand position is similar to Artemisia's "Self-Portrait as a Female Martyr," but the anatomy and shadows are more naturalistic and less stylized. Nearly all of the ingredients of Artemisia's best paintings are found here.
Artemisia Gentileschi
"Judith Slaying Holofernes"
c. 1620
Uffizi Gallery, Florence
This is perhaps Artemesia's most well-known piece. It was extraordinarily popular and as such she painted multiple versions of it, largely the same with slight differences in details. The work features a rather violent scene of Judith decapitating Holofernes, while her Maidservant helps to hold him down. The blood sprays from Artemisia's neck follow the parabolic arcs that had been recently documented by Artemisia's friend and acquaintance, the scientist Galileo Galilei. Perhaps most disturbing is the detail with which Holoferne's demise is captured; he resists, but appears weak; his eyes, bloodshot, are rolling back in his head; and the blood sprays everywhere, staining the sheets and the clothing of the heroines. This piece is the most complex composition that Artemisia produced, with multiple figures engaged in life or death struggle. The action is contained within the frame like many of Artemisia's works. The light source comes from off the frame on the left, casting the figures in tenebrous shadows, creating a convincing illusion of an extremely violent act being carried out in secret under the cover of darkness. This image represents the height of Artemisia's technical mastery.