WOMEN OF NAPLES
Artemisia Gentileschi
In the context of Rome at the end of the sixteenth century, a city in full transformation under the urban impulse of Pope Sixtus V Artemisia Gentileschi was born on 8 July 1593. This was a Rome that was redefining its face, with the creation of new arteries such as the Via Sistina, intended to house sacred buildings and palaces that attracted artists from every corner of Italy. In this creative ferment, Artemisia, daughter of art, took her first steps, leaving an indelible mark on the history of painting. Daughter of the painter Orazio Gentileschi, a famous artist of Pisan origin and Prudenzia Montoni, Artemisia undertook her artistic apprenticeship in her father's workshop, demonstrating early on a talent that would challenge the conventions of her era dominated only by men. Later, to perfect her skills, her father entrusted her with external teachers, including Agostino Tassi, who gave her lessons in pictorial perspective. His career was marked by both an artistic flowering and a profound personal trauma. At just 17 years old, in 1610, he completed his first known work, Susanna ei Vecchioni. This painting, which depicts a vulnerable Susanna besieged by two lecherous elderly men, stands out for its intense emotionality and realistic depiction of the protagonist's anguish. A pivotal moment in his life and art occurred in 1611, when he suffered physical violence at the hands of Agostino Tassi. Tassi was convicted, but managed to evade punishment due to the political support he enjoyed, while Artemisia was forced to leave the capital to safeguard her honor and her newly established career. Shortly after the trial, in November 1612, Artemisia married Pierantonio Stiattesi, a Florentine artist, and the couple moved to Florence in 1614. In Florence, Artemisia found the protection of the powerful Medici family, including Cosimo II de' Medici and his wife Christina of Lorraine. Here he had the opportunity to meet Galileo Galilei and become friends with Michelangelo Buonarroti the younger for whom he painted the Allegory of Inclination. Her artistic stature was recognized in 1616, when she became the first woman admitted to the prestigious Accademia del Disegno in Florence, where she remained enrolled until 1620, the year in which she returned to Rome. After a period in Rome, during which he painted works such as the Portrait of Gonfaloniere, Artemisia moved to Venice in 1627, and then to Naples in 1630. In Venice, they commissioned many pictures from her and she collaborated with Nicholas Lanier, an agendas commissioned by the King of England to purchase works of art in Italian territory. Naples proved to be a vibrant artistic center, and she quickly established herself as a leading figure. Notable works from her Neapolitan period include the Annunciation and her celebrated Self-Portrait as an allegory of Painting where she represents herself as she is busy working. In 1636, Artemisia traveled to London, joining her father Horace, who had been called by King Charles I. Together, they collaborated on projects such as The Triumph of Peace and the Arts for the Queen's House in Greenwich. After Horace's death in London in 1639, Artemisia returned to Naples, where she remained for the rest of her life. Although less is known about his later years, he continued to work, receiving commissions from patrons such as Antonio Ruffo. Artemisia Gentileschi's death in Naples occurred sometime after 1653, possibly in 1654 or 1656, although the exact date remains uncertain. Artemisia's most significant works often resonate with her personal experiences, especially her early paintings.
Judith beheading Holofernes, of which there are two versions (one from around 1612 and another made in Florence, both with surprising violence and dramatic intensity that many critics have interpreted as a reworking of her trauma), is emblematic of her approach. At the time, the few known female painters were often limited to painting only still lifes and portraits, although they achieved excellent results in these fields. Artemisia, on the other hand, developed her art starting from the lesson of her father Orazio, but distanced herself considerably from it. While her father preferred a Tuscan-style idealist realism, Artemisia's style stood out for its strong realistic and theatrical imprint. Artemisia often dedicated herself to subjects taken from the Old Testament, focusing not so much on pure female revenge against male abuse, but rather on the search for justice carried out by women. The female figures painted by Artemisia deviate from the models of her time, who react forcefully or openly express their moral judgment.
Capodimonte Museum: keeper of the Legacy of Artemisia Gentileschi
The Capodimonte Museum, one of the largest and most prestigious museums in Italy, has some of the most important works by Artemisia Gentileschi, a painter who lived and worked in Naples for most of her life. Here the visitor can admire the expressive power and emotional depth of her canvases, evidence of a career built in a city that welcomed and inspired her. The link between Artemisia and Capodimonte is not only that of a place that hosts his masterpieces, as in other churches in the city, but also that of a site that represents the heart of Neapolitan artistic memory, where his art dialogues with that of the great Baroque masters. Through the works kept in this museum, one can follow the evolution of his style, from his early training to the full maturity he reached in Naples.
