Comments on: Artemisia Gentileschi http://arth460.umwblogs.org/2007/09/14/artemisia-gentileschi/ Just another UMW Blogs.org weblog Thu, 20 Nov 2008 09:09:53 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: roblog http://arth460.umwblogs.org/2007/09/14/artemisia-gentileschi/#comment-58 roblog Fri, 21 Sep 2007 03:54:15 +0000 http://arth460.umwblogs.org/2007/09/14/artemisia-gentileschi/#comment-58 As exciting as the possibility of Artemesia: Child Prodigy is to a big fan like me, I have to admit, I'm pretty skeptical about the assumption that a thirteen year old Artemesia could have painted the Susanna and the Elders in question. It doesn't fit with the education system which governed painters at the time nor with her personal biography, as she is described by her father to have started painting at age 16 (Garrard). Painting is a process based skill, so, while the requisite skills of drawing, composition and colorism could appear nearly fully-formed in a prodigy, the labor intensive (and often counterintuitive) methods of grinding, prepping, and layering paint would almost certainly be beyond a thirteen year old, even one raised in the house of a painter (Keep in mind, would-be painters weren't apprenticed until around that age, at which point they were limited to drawing in charcoal and preparing materials). Most importantly, the discipline required to anticipate the final composition is exhuastive and based in years of experience and knowledge. The painter has to be aware of where to build up and down the paint surface, where final shadows will fall etc., which is something that is a remarkable accomplishment for even a 17 year old Artemesia. (Keep in mind, we discover Caravaggio at age 21 in Rome, with less than a fully realized style and definately undiscipline technique). As exciting as the possibility of Artemesia: Child Prodigy is to a big fan like me, I have to admit, I’m pretty skeptical about the assumption that a thirteen year old Artemesia could have painted the Susanna and the Elders in question. It doesn’t fit with the education system which governed painters at the time nor with her personal biography, as she is described by her father to have started painting at age 16 (Garrard).

Painting is a process based skill, so, while the requisite skills of drawing, composition and colorism could appear nearly fully-formed in a prodigy, the labor intensive (and often counterintuitive) methods of grinding, prepping, and layering paint would almost certainly be beyond a thirteen year old, even one raised in the house of a painter (Keep in mind, would-be painters weren’t apprenticed until around that age, at which point they were limited to drawing in charcoal and preparing materials). Most importantly, the discipline required to anticipate the final composition is exhuastive and based in years of experience and knowledge. The painter has to be aware of where to build up and down the paint surface, where final shadows will fall etc., which is something that is a remarkable accomplishment for even a 17 year old Artemesia. (Keep in mind, we discover Caravaggio at age 21 in Rome, with less than a fully realized style and definately undiscipline technique).

]]> By: Emily McAlpine http://arth460.umwblogs.org/2007/09/14/artemisia-gentileschi/#comment-55 Emily McAlpine Thu, 20 Sep 2007 04:09:37 +0000 http://arth460.umwblogs.org/2007/09/14/artemisia-gentileschi/#comment-55 I think a more obvious, but interesting note was the remark that male artists in the Renaissance depicted Susanna as appearing tempting, or being seductive in the presence of the men. (Was this Garrard? It's late) But when noting the attribution of the main Susanna to Artemisia, Susanna is depicted as resisting with anguish (construed as the more feminine POV)- this could connect to what Wittkower had to say about the definitions of sexuality at those times, especially in regards to rape. I think a lot of questions could stem from these authors' remarks, I'd be interested in what others thought! I think a more obvious, but interesting note was the remark that male artists in the Renaissance depicted Susanna as appearing tempting, or being seductive in the presence of the men. (Was this Garrard? It’s late) But when noting the attribution of the main Susanna to Artemisia, Susanna is depicted as resisting with anguish (construed as the more feminine POV)- this could connect to what Wittkower had to say about the definitions of sexuality at those times, especially in regards to rape. I think a lot of questions could stem from these authors’ remarks, I’d be interested in what others thought!

]]> By: Dana http://arth460.umwblogs.org/2007/09/14/artemisia-gentileschi/#comment-54 Dana Thu, 20 Sep 2007 03:06:56 +0000 http://arth460.umwblogs.org/2007/09/14/artemisia-gentileschi/#comment-54 While I was reading the Garrard article I got a little upset when they stated that Susanna and the Elders might not be by Artemesia because she was at an impossible age (13). I think that someone can have incredible skill at 13. Haven't they ever heard of a child prodigy? It happens all the time in music and nowadays we have 13 year old kids going off to college. I think that it is entirely possible for a person with incredible talent, like Artemesia, to have created something that revolutionary at 13. I realize that the date of her birth was under speculation and she may have actually been 17 at the time, but I still don't think that 13 is an impossible age. While I was reading the Garrard article I got a little upset when they stated that Susanna and the Elders might not be by Artemesia because she was at an impossible age (13). I think that someone can have incredible skill at 13. Haven’t they ever heard of a child prodigy? It happens all the time in music and nowadays we have 13 year old kids going off to college. I think that it is entirely possible for a person with incredible talent, like Artemesia, to have created something that revolutionary at 13. I realize that the date of her birth was under speculation and she may have actually been 17 at the time, but I still don’t think that 13 is an impossible age.

]]> By: reverend http://arth460.umwblogs.org/2007/09/14/artemisia-gentileschi/#comment-41 reverend Sat, 15 Sep 2007 20:30:34 +0000 http://arth460.umwblogs.org/2007/09/14/artemisia-gentileschi/#comment-41 Wow, Marjorie, you have really been going blog wild. This is excellent, your posts have been fascinating, thanks for the free education! Wow, Marjorie, you have really been going blog wild. This is excellent, your posts have been fascinating, thanks for the free education!

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