Milano: seeking Artemisia
di // pubblicato il 20 Novembre, 2011
- Translated by Patrizia Cani -
There are many valid reasons why is worth coming to the beautiful and productive city of Milan, especially recently, since a visit to the Royal Palace could allow you to admire two really excellent exhibitions: the genius of Cézanne and the enigmatic passion of Artemisia Gentileschi.
Women in the past have always been bound by feminine tasks and duties, and have almost always been denied to undertake the job of painters, considered exclusively a male prerogative.
It is established that Italian history of art has seen no famous female painters apart from Clarissa Catherine dé Vigri (Bologna from 1413 to 1463), the portrait painter Sofonisba Anguissola (Cremona 1535 - Palermo 1625), Fede Galizia (Milan 1578-1630), Giovanna Garzoni (Ascoli Piceno 1600 - Rome 1670) mistress of delicate still lifes and finally Artemisia Gentileschi (Rome 1593 - Naples 1652).
All these women, often daughters of famous painters, share a passion for drawing and for artistic research, discovered when they were still young, and the consequent determined desire to express themselves..
Artemisia had a difficult life, complicated by wrong relationships and strong links with male personalities. These personal issues influenced her works so much that her Holofernes was often painted with the facial features of Agostino Tassi, a painter friend of the family teaching her perspective, who was imprisoned in 1611 for raping her.
The recurring themes in the paintings by Gentileschi, are certainly the consequence of this misadventure, a sort of revenge on men who at the time were considered better than women. Thus the theme of Judith (painted sometimes in the likeness of the painter) in the act of killing Holofernes appears rather often, always rendered in a naturalistic and violent manner, thanks also to the strong colors she chose..
Married to an old man used as a shelter for the outrage suffered, she had four daughters, about which very little is known. Famous for being free and innovative, she traveled to various cities following the various painting commissions.
Anna Banti writes about her "outraged when she was just a maiden, in her honor and love. Reviled victim of a public trial for rape. She who taught painting in Naples. She who ventured through the heretical England in 1638. One of the first women who claimed with words and deeds the right of congenial work for females and the equality of spirit between the sexes "
She clearly was a forerunner of the present times.
Her colour sensibility and the choices of innovative themes to paint, often repeated with slight variations, have made her famous among his contemporaries, even if it was a woman and despite the hard confrontation with her father, Orazio Gentileschi, talented painter sought from all the courts of Europe.
Until 29 January in the Royal Palace in Milan is set up the monograph "Artemisia Gentileschi. History of a passion", curated by Roberto Contini, the Gemaldegalierie in Berlin, and Francesco Solinas. The exhibition show as many as 40 paintings and many unpublished documents necessary to find and understand the capabilities of this extraordinary and indomitable woman of the seventeenth century and her violent anger against male privileges.
In those times women painted very small still lives and portraits because the uncomfortable robe they were forced to wear didn't allow them to climb the stairs necessary to work on large canvases. Artemisia had to ask for a papal dispensation in order to be able to wear trousers under the dress and paint large paintings.
She herself writes, "I know that my woman's name will rise doubts, but look at my paintings and see what I can do." Her belief in equality of roles supported by undoubted talent and skills makes her unmistakably modern and fierce supporter of his ability.
As I always do, finished the first lap in the halls of the exhibition, I went back to see the paintings that had struck me more and I noticed that the painting of Judith and Holofernes possess such a force and an overwhelming anger to make the viewer aware of the satisfactory feeling of Artemisia in depicting the victory of women on men.
Naturally the catalogue, published by Culture 24 HOURS - 24 HOURS Group - with essays by Roberto Paolo Ciardi, Roberto Contini, Mina Gregori, Rodolfo Maffeis, Judy Mann, Renato Ruotolo and Francesco Solinas, is an interesting textbook, with useful critical notes.
In occasion of the opening of this exhibition was also created the first application "Artemisia Gentileschi", freely downloadable for iPhone and iPad. Through the application one will be able to make a fascinating journey into the world of a brilliant woman, living outside the standard of her time in her work and in her life. Thanks to the original media, audio and video combined, it will be possible to undertake a high definition analysis of her masterpieces, the reading of her writings and the ideal reconstruction of her private space thanks to a series of interactive games.