Gentileschi << jehn tee LEHS kee, >> Artemisia (1593-1652?), was an Italian painter. She specialized in paintings of strong heroines, especially from the Bible. A favorite subject was Judith, the virtuous Jewish widow who beheaded the Assyrian general Holofernes (see Judith ).
Gentileschi was one of the most influential followers of the style of the Italian artist Michelangelo Caravaggio. Her emphasis on strong contrasts between light and dark, called chiaroscuro, is a main feature of the Caravaggio style. Other notable elements in Gentileschi’s style include the realism of her figures and the strength and determination shown by the women in her paintings.
Gentileschi was born on July 8, 1593, in Rome. Her father, Orazio Gentileschi, was also a noted painter. In 1615, Artemisia Gentileschi was the first woman to become a member of the prestigious Accademia delle Arti del Disegno (Academy of Drawing Arts) in Florence, Italy. She traveled to England about 1638. There, she undertook some commissions and helped her father with his projects. Her late works were painted in a more classical style and are less admired than her early paintings.
