Art Collage JANG: Interesting Art Stories: 71. Self-Portrait as the Allegory of Painting, Artemisia Gentileschi, ACJ Art Academy

Sunday, February 13, 2022

Interesting Art Stories: 71. Self-Portrait as the Allegory of Painting, Artemisia Gentileschi, ACJ Art Academy

How are you?

Currently, I am introducing the stories about various artists and their paintings with the title “Interesting Art Stories”.

The 71st story is “Self-Portrait as the Allegory of Painting” by Artemisia Gentileschi.

“Self-Portrait as the Allegory of Painting” is an oil-on-canvas painting by the Italian Baroque artist Artemisia Gentileschi, believed to have been painted during her stay in England between 1638 and 1639. It was in the collection of Charles I of England and is now in the Royal Collection.

The painting depicts Gentileschi painting herself, who is in turn represented as the "Allegory of Painting" illustrated by Cesare Ripa. The painting shows a rare feminist theme from a time when women seldom held jobs. It was a bold statement for the time that Gentileschi described herself as the epitome of the arts, although today the painting is overshadowed by many other Gentileschi's paintings, more dramatic and raw scenes that reflect her painful younger years.

Gentileschi was born in Rome in 1593, when Baroque painting just began. Her father, Orazio Gentileschi, was a famous artist and Artemisia trained in his workshop for a number of years before creating her own paintings.

Portrait of Orazio Gentileschi, Lucas Emil
Vorsterman after Sir Anthony van Dyck
for “The Iconography” (c. 1630)

In the 1610s, Artemisia was raped by Agostino Tassi, an older member of the workshop. This event had a profound impact on the rest of her life and on her art world, which often presents themes with a "Power of Women" such as “Judith Slaying Holofernes” and “Salome with the Head of St. John the Baptist”.

Judith Slaying Holofernes, Artemisia
Gentileschi (1620–1621)

Salome with the Head of St. John the
Baptist, Artemisia Gentileschi
(c. 1610–1615)

The composition of the painting uses diagonal lines to show off the female figure and emphasize her movement both inside and outside the canvas. The use of foreshortening and other three-dimensional techniques not only demonstrate Gentileschi’s talent as an artist, but also draws viewers into the painting on physical and emotional levels.

In the painting, the light is coming from the left, but the light source is not visible, and the front of Gentileschi’s body is perfectly illuminated, but her back is obscured. A chiaroscuro technique, often used in the Baroque period, is used to separate light from the dark, adding a sense of drama.