Tw: depiction of Violence and Blood
In the countless stories that tell the lives of artists that revolutionized the way we perceive art, from the hardened academic to the conceptual challenging of the status quo, the change and improvement each one makes is felt throughout the history of art amidst a myriad of movements. In the telling of stories and culture through art, one has to wonder, where are the women? Why is there such an extensive discussion on the men, yet merely only a few women artists? Few names come to mind when remembering the women artists, like Frida Kahlo, and even Kahlo herself belongs to the more contemporary side of art. Thus, as I study art history, I ponder, how much effort did she have to put into her work to be in the consciousness of pop culture? These questions had plagued my mind so much that I had to investigate on my own. For this step, it was especially helpful that my considerate professors made the conscious decision to mention the artists in class for us to retain their names. Thus, in light of remembering, at least, one more name and in more detail, I wish to bring attention to and talk about one particular artist of the Baroque Movement, Artemisia Gentileschi. Gentileschi had an amazing introduction and opportunity to learn about the arts. She was able to learn about art in a time where most women couldn’t due to the fact that she was the daughter of an artist, Orazio Gentileschi. Taking the opportunity to learn the style of the Baroque Movement, she employed what academics call “Tenebrism,” which is the usage of contrasting tones between dark and light. This is why a lot of her paintings seem to have a “dark” feel to them, as if they only had one source of concentrated light. Artemisia Gentileschi became a well known artist and she had also improved on the Baroque techniques left behind by Caravaggio and her father.Just take a look at her technique in “Judith Slaying Holofernes” (1612-13), an oil on canvas with the dimensions of 158.8cm by 125.5cm. In it, there are three figures, Judith who holds the blade and the maidservant Abra who holds Holofernes down. At the centre of the canvas there is the first femme figure, Abra, wearing blue garments and an ochre-like yellow head piece wrapped around her head. Her face expresses a diligent calmness as she holds down the figure below her. Below her face, a hand is gripping on her clothing, the hand of the masculine figure. Surprised by this encounter, Holofernes grasped the woman in an attempt to free himself from the attack. The man is only being covered by the sheets of the bed and some other red fabric that rests on him, he bleeds profusely, and by his neck, the weapon that caused him to bleed is a blade handled by the last figure, Judith. She holds the blade with strength, just as she holds the head of Holofernes, gripping tightly at his hair, her face stern and focused. This is not glorified violence, one can truly see the struggle to keep the man apprehended and the seriousness behind being able to execute his execution. It is no doubt that the talent and dedication that Gentileschi had for art is one that needs to be remembered. Not only was she a known artist in her time, but she managed to break out of the times’ norms, and surpassed her mentors’ skills. Additionally, she moved to Italy, becoming the first women artist to join Florence’s Academy of Design, where she was favoured by dukes, the Medici family, and other rich nobles. There is so much more to the life of Artemisia Gentileschi, and so many facets, both good and bad, that influenced the way she portrayed her art. As an art student, I feel that her deliberate choice to favour heroine characters in her pieces is one detail that is very unique to her style. Few people can really say they became better than their masters, but evidently, Gentileschi is one of them. And for the women artists of today, keep drawing and keep making art. We have more history behind us than what we think