Female Italian Artists of the Baroque Period

The Italian composer Chiara Margarita Cozzolani was one of the few women who could compose well known music during the Baroque Era. Religious wars were raging on across Europe, and many of Cozzolani’s musical pieces focus on religion and musical dialogues, which portrayed notable religious scenes from the bible (Forney, Dell'Antonio, & Machlis 111). One of Cozzolani’s pieces, Magnificat, was focused on in our textbook. After listening to the piece and reading some history about Cozzolani and her music, I felt like I could really understand what was happening during that time in history and how she wanted to make people feel with her music. Chiara Margarita Cozzolani’s music relates to the Baroque Era of music for several reasons. First of all,

Under the guidance of her father, Artemisia created her first painting when she was 17.

Artemisia Gentileschi was born in Rome in 1593. Her father was Orazio Gentileschi, a very well-known artist in Rome at that time. At this time, men ruled the art world. This was the post-renaissance era, and women were only involved in portrait painting. She was known for painting religious and historical scenes, paving the way for other female artists. She received training from her father in her early years as an artist. Gentileschi, tragically, was raped by an artist who was friends with her father. He was exiled from Rome when put to trial. She also lost her mother when she was 12. Her childhood and young adult years were not easy. Through her struggles, she managed to overcome all odds and make her work known in an art world run by men.

Artemisia continued an affair with Agostino under the promise of marriage, when the marriage never happened, her father brought charges against Tassi and a trial ensued, to which Artemisia was tortured during a gynecological examination for the trial. Again life imitating art and a testament toward the women depicted in her paintings. Miss Gentileschi married a man named Pierantonio Stiattesi and they moved to Florence. As mentioned, Artemisia had 5 children, however only her daughter Prudentia survived into adulthood. After her mother's death in 1656, Prudentia disappeared from history.

Gentileschi gained and developed her skills from her father whom was influenced by Caravaggio. She later went on to marry a painter from Florence; Pietro Antonio di Vicenzo Stiattesi. Artemisia moved to Florence with her husband and had a daughter. Artemisia was a very successful artist for a woman in baroque period, she became friends with many artists including Galileo. (britannica.com) Most of her work were of woman, such as Woman Playing the Lute (http://www.arthistoryarchive.com/arthistory/baroque/images/ArtemisiaGentileschi-Woman-Playing-the-Lute-1609-12.jpg)

Artemisia Gentileschi is believed to have been born around 1593 and died around 1652.  Both dates are disputed to the current day.  She was one of five children and was born into the life of an artist.  Her father, who was an artist as well, loved her greatly.  Her mother died when she was twelve.  Artemisia was always a skilled painter, but her father wanted even more for her daughter.  While her works were already amazing for her age, she needed artistic guidance in order to further her skills.  One man who was hired as a tutor was named Agostino Tossi.  Tossi almost immediately was an annoying presence in the house frustrating Artemisia.  However, in 1610,

Italian Baroque painter, Artemisia Gentileschi was born in Rome on July 8th, 1593. Her father Orazio Gentileschi, who was a painter himself, introduced Artemisia to the art of painting by giving her lessons in his studio. At an early age, Artemisia displayed her interest in art and it wasn’t long until her father noticed potential in his daughter enough that she would be able to make a name for herself in the male-dominated career. Artemisia had the desire to follow in her father’s footsteps, it was then that Orazio encouraged her to follow her dreams and decided to begin training her as an artist.

The works of Sandro Botticelli are among the most revered of renaissance painting. The sweeping curves of his women and the ethereal beauty of their gazes are recognized instantaneously: from a grandmother in a small town to the cognoscenti of New York or Paris, few can claim to be unmoved by his work. Patronized by the Vatican as well as one of the most rich and powerful Florentines of his time, Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco de' Medici, Botticelli was hugely popular in his own day. His most magnificent work, the Primavera, as well as The Birth of Venus, Camilla and the Centaur, and Mars and Venus contain entirely mythological figures whose significances have been debated by various art historians for centuries.

The bond between mother and child has been a constant theme in the world of the humanities. While that bond has been the same throughout history, its portrayal in art has varied from decade to decade. Two artists, Artemisia Gentileschi and Mary Cassatt, chose to create pieces based on this bond, but the use of mediums and the influence from religion (or the lack thereof) help to distinguish between the artists and their time periods.

Nanette Salomon, a very well known feminist writer, wrote the article, “Judging Artemisia: A Baroque Woman in Modern Art History.” The article opens up with a discussion about the 2001-2 exhibition of Orazio and Artemisia Gentileschi: Father and Daughter Painters in Baroque Italy. The author explains that three things are unusual here: the fact that two famous artists were presented at the same time, that they were related as father and daughter, and the fact that the woman was better known than the man. Her intent in this article is to look at the effects of this trope (figure of speech) in the past and in the present.

Known as one of the most famous female artists during the Baroque period, Artemisia Gentileschi's artworks showcase powerful emotions and drama. She was the first woman to gain acceptance into the Academy of the Arts of Drawing. In her later years, she was supported by Michelangelo the Younger and the Grand Duke Cosimo Medici. Artemisia remains an inspiration because she jumped several hurdles to gain recognition in a profession that was dominantly male at the time.

In this essay, the difference between Northern Baroque and Italian Baroque styles of painting, the differences between a male and a female interpretation, the narrative differences, and the psychological dilemmas they present to the viewer will be discussed.

Artemisia Gentileschi was not the first to paint Judith Slaying Holofernes. Her father had painted Judith. Michelangelo, Botticelli and Caravaggio had painted Judith. Donatello had sculpted Judith. But she was the first to interpret the story of Judith, in a time when women had few rights, as an allegory for female dominance. In comparison with other contemporary versions, the composition, dramatic style, and emotions of the characters present a violently feminist view that may have stemmed from Gentileschi's own experiences.

Considered one of the most important artists of the Baroque movement in Early Modern Europe, Artemisia Gentileschi, had to prove herself and break down the boundaries for a woman in a male dominated field. Artemisia was born in Rome on July 8, 1953 to Orazio and Prudentia Monotone Gentileschi, who died when the artist was only twelve years of age. Her upbringing was left to her father, who was also a well-known painter. He trained her since she was not permitted to learn in the studios of successful artists of the moment. Orazio introduced his daughter to the working artists of Rome including Caravaggio, whose tenebrism technique and chiaroscuro style had a great influence on her paintings.

"The 17th Century: Baroque and Rococo - Artemisia Gentileschi." History of Art. http://www.all-art.org/baroque/gentileschi2.html (accessed March 22, 2011)