| John Varriano is an art historian whose specialty is 17th-century Italy. He has spent a great deal of time in Rome and has published more than two dozen articles and books on Italian painting, sculpture and architecture. His last book was a "Literary Companion to Rome" which anthologizes literary responses to the city from the time of antiquity to the present day. He is presently at work on a book about the painter Caravaggio. Here at Mount Holyoke, Mr. Varriano occupies an endowed chair in the name of Idella Plimpton Kendall, a Mount Holyoke alumna (class of 1871) who is believed to be the first American undergraduate woman to have spent her junior year abroad. He is also currently the chair of the Art Department. |
| On September 28, 1998, the European Studies Seminar heard a guest lecture given by Mount Holyoke Professor and Chair of the Art department, John Varriano. Professor Varriano spoke of 17th century Italian art and of a female artist named Artemisia Gentileschi. The lecture, which detailed the life and works of Artemisia Gentileschi, addressed the following question: was Artemisia a Baroque feminist painter? Arte A new change occurred around 1590 and the turn of the century. Two types of art emerged. The first type reverted to styles from the Renaissance. Annibale Carracci was the instigator of this style. He rejected the art of the Mannerism period and returned to the rational, intellectual and religious art that was characteristic of the Renaissance period. This revival of a previous style of art is today referred to as the grandfather principle. The second style of the epoch was created by an artist known as Carravaggio. He is thought to have been the first realist. Carravaggio believed that art should delight but also teach about the human experience. Therefore, art should reflect human emotions and the realism of the human psyche. A second artist of this style was Carravaggio's student, Orazio Gentileschi. Orazio took the initial concept of realism, as created by Carravaggio but he altered its execution by refining it. Orazio's art was poetic, well refined and well balanced. He could paint the same scene as Carravaggio but with intricate details and beautiful bright colors. Orazio's successor, his daughter Artemisia, created her own version of realism: she combined the realistic style with intellectualism that brings out human emotion. One painting titled Susanna and the elders, expresses pain brought about by the shame and embarrassment inflicted on a woman bathing when she realizes she is being watched by two elderly men. These emotions are very clear in the face of the young woman as she tries to cover herself. Another of Artemisias paintings, her most famous, Judith and Holofernes, is a painting which shows Judith and her servant killing Holofernes. This story, out of the Old Testament, describes Judith saving the town, which was to be attacked by Holofernes the day following his abrupt death. Although this scene was painted by many artists, no one captured the strength and determination of Judith as Artemisia did. Judith and her servant held Holofernes down and while he struggled, a very resolute Judith beheaded him with a sword. The female emotions expressed in the art of Artemisia and overlooked by male artists bring about the question: can only a female know these emotions and therefore paint them? Another intellectual maneuver used by Artemisia is shown in two of her self-portraits. She uses the fact that she is a woman to her advantage. In one portrait she is wearing a laurel wreath, which was a symbol of high intellect and achievement. In the second portrait, Artemisia is adorned with a gold necklace that has a mask pendant hanging from it. This necklace with its mask ornament, when worn by a woman is the emblem for Art; thus, Artemisia has depicted herself as the very essence of Art itself. Not only was this a very bold depiction but it was one in which only a woman could be the participant. Professor Varriano's lecture was a wonderful insight into the life of Artemisia Gentileschi; however, the original question remains: was Artemisia Gentileschi a feminist? Her works illustrate her ability to paint women emotionally and intellectually, in a manner that others were incapable of doing; and it was her defiance to painting women with traditional weaknesses and emotions that made her art stand out. |
misia Gentileschi was born on July 8, 1593 in Rome.
During this period of history, the norm was that women who became painters
were those whose fathers were also painters. Artemisia followed this trend,
her father, Orazio Gentileschi was also a painter. One of the defining
points in Artemisia's early life occurred in 1612. Orazio brought a lawsuit
against Artemisias teacher, Tassi. The suit, which still remains a little
ambiguous, was either for a breach of contract or for rape. The story that
accompanies this trial was that Tassi seduced Artemisia while making promises
of marriage. Later, Tassi would not marry Artemisia. Since Artemisia was
no longer pure, her chances of marrying decreased and this left her at
a financial disadvantage. The lawsuit, therefore demanded financial compensation
from Tassi. Many believe that this bitter event in Artemisias life affected
her work and caused the recurrent theme of getting even against men, which
is portrayed in many of her works. Judith and Holofernes, Artemisias most
famous painting, depicts this revenge theme. During the trial, Artemisia
married another man and had two children. Soon after, Artemisias husband
disappeared, never to be seen again. Over the course of her life, Artemisia
worked in Venice, Florence, Genoa and Naples. She was a successful artist
of the times, and would only sell her work to respectable buyers. Between
1638 and 1641 she moved to England where her father lived, eventually moving
back to Naples for the last eleven years of her life. Artemisia Gentileschi
died in 1653. The artistic periods before Artemisia are essential to understanding
her artistic style. The period of the High Renaissance, 1480-1520, was
a period of individual and human recognition. Artists celebrated and paid
homage to the individual and human achievements. This period ended with
the Protestant Reformation and abruptly shifted in a style called Mannerism
which lasted from 1520 to 1590. Works from this time period reflect the
changes in society. A painting by Raphael logical, orderly, colorful and
religious when contrasted with a work by his disciple that was without
order, dark and depicted Christ about to wave his arm and condemn people
to hell, recounts history quite effectively. Mannerism brought works that
reflected the loss of faith in the Catholic church. The images seen in
paintings from this period became distorted and artificial. They created
an ideal that reflected the other, that which was not human.