Self-Portrait as a Female Martyr

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Self-Portrait as a Female Martyr
Artemisia Gentileschi Selfportrait Martyr.jpg
Artist Artemisia Gentileschi
Yearc. 1615
MediumOil on panel
Dimensions31.75 cm× 24.76 cm(12.50 in× 9.75 in)
LocationPrivate collection, USA

Self-Portrait as a Female Martyr, is also known as the Self-Portrait as a Martyr Saint. [1] This painting was created by the Italian female artist, Artemisia Gentileschi. [1] This self-portrait was made around 1615 depicting the artist herself as a martyr. [2] It is one of two paintings by Gentileschi painted with oil on a wood panel. [3] This self-portrait is currently in a private collection in the United States. [3]

Contents

Description

An inscription on the reverse confirms that it is painted by the artist Artemisia Gentileschi. [2] The inscription is written in Italian which Inscribes: Di Mano di Artemisia figlia di A.rili.Lomi/Pisano Nipote di Orzio. [2] This roughly translates to: Di Mano di Artemisia daughter of A.rili.Lomi/Pisano Grandson of Orzio. [2]

There has been much debate over whether Gentileschi had painted herself or a specific saint. [2] It was noted by Keith Christiansen that the painting had to be a self-portrait of the artist instead of a Christian saint because of the physical features in the self-portrait. [2] The description of the woman’s bow lips, the dip in the nose, and round face are identical to Gentileschi’s features. [2] These features were also similar to another one of Gentileschi's paintings she made around this time period, Allegory of Inclination. [2] Lastly, Gentileschi's use of rose drapery and lapis blue paint is similar to the paint in Mary Magdalene, another of Gentileschi's works of art as well. [2] This concluded the discussion of this painting being a self-portrait.

The artist depicts herself in the style of a martyr, which can be seen with the yellow palm frond in her hand. [4] The depiction of palm fronds was a way to symbolize said martyrdom. [5] This representation goes back as early as the Revelation in the Christian bible. [5] If the palm frond was not there, the self-portrait of a woman martyr would turn into just a regular self-portrait painting. [5] It was very common in the seventeenth century for women to be painted as biblical female martyrs; because paintings of woman were meant to emit innocence, having saint like features and doing saint like acts was seen as the ideal woman. [5]

Enrica Guerra suggested that the awkward proportion of the hand in comparison to the head suggests that it may have been added at a later stage. [4] The only major change besides the hand in the painting is that Gentileschi painted a turban on the woman, though it is unknown when this change occurred. [2] It was very popular for many artists at this time to depict their self-portraits with a turban, but this was not done to depict a certain saint. [2] Since the painting does not appear to have been cut down in size, the painting is also accurate to what Gentileschi painted. [1] It is unusual in this time period for there to be a painting of a martyr that lacked the attribute of a specific saint in the painting. [1] Artemisia Gentileschi painted self-portraits as several different people in many of her artworks, such as the Self-Portrait as the Allegory of Painting, Self-Portrait as a Lute Player, and Self-Portrait as Saint Catherine of Alexandria yet this was the only Gentileschi did where she depicted herself as the saint. [1]

Painting Materials and Technique

The painting was made on a wood panel in oil paint. [3] This was unlike Artemisia Gentileschi's usual method of painting, which was usually done with oil on a canvas. [3] Gentileschi would use a technique called sfumato which is when paint is delicately blended together. [3] She would usually use a black background while creating her artwork. [3] Gentileschi also put an emphasis of realism in her works of art. [3] Mary Gerrard mentions how the size of the panel can also hint at intimacy. [6] The panel being smaller indicated that it was a more private meaning and may be a part of some sort of symbolism. [6]

History

This painting is a Baroque artwork. In the seventeenth century, Baroque could be seen as any medium of art from painting, sculpting, ceramics, to many more. [7] Baroque art is also used in many Catholic settings, such as churches, and is used in public domains. [7] The art represented important moments in the Bible that were revered, and artists would be hired to paint certain saints. [7] The goal was to have the onlookers be filled with emotion while looking at the pieces. [7] Baroque art was even used in political religious settings. [7] This particular baroque painting is believed to have been made during the artist's time in Florence, based on both the appearance as well as some supplier records discovered in archives. [4] The date is recorded as 1614 but since the new year in Florence did not begin until March the date is technically 1615. [2] The work is signed "Artemisia Lomi", the name she assumed while working in Florence to associate herself with her uncle Aurelio Lomi, who had already established a reputation there. [1] Yael Evan mentions that Gentileschi desired to be treated as if she was a male painter. [8] During this time period, women were not allowed into any academy of arts. [8] Being seen as a male painter in that century would have been a great honor. [8]

The artist, Gentileschi painted this portrait depicting herself as a female martyr when she was twenty-two. [9] Helen Clements describes Gentileschi’s painting as portraying herself in a gentle and more intimate manner. [9] Clements commented on the way Gentileschi looked in the painting mentioning that the women looks very soft. [9] There is no pity emitting from the painting. [9] Clements examines the theory that Gentileschi was painting herself as a martyr saint to reflect how she felt when she was raped as a teenager years before. [9] She concludes that Gentileschi's portraits revealed that she did not want to have her past be one of pity and dismay; she denounces the theory that Gentileschi painted herself as a martyr only because of her famous past. [9] Susanna Scarparo portrays Gentileschi as a painter that struggled to be recognized for her skill in the arts rather than being famous for what happened to her in her past. [10] She critiques how previous writing on Gentileschi focused on this rather than her artwork. [10] Gentileschi is one of only a few famous female artists recognized in the 17th century and the first Italian women to specialize in Italian painting. [8] Gentileschi's one of many great achievements was being the first women to join Florence’s Academy of Design. [11] Over the years Gentileschi has made many self-portraits and painted mostly only women in different environments, but only one of her as a martyr. [10]

Provenance

The painting was originally made in Florence. The painting was in the collection of Ignazio Hugford, who lent it to an exhibition in Florence in the 1760s. [1] The painting was in Hugford's possession until 1779. [2] Later on, the painting was in the collection of Martha Beavan née Wallaston of Leintwardine, Herefordshire. [1] At one point Newhouse Galleries had this painting in a private collection in 1995. [2] The self-portrait was sold at Sotheby's London December 9, 1987. [1]

See also

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References

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  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Christiansen, Keith (2001). Orazio and Artemisia Gentileschi. Judith Walker Mann, Orazio,? Gentileschi, Artemisia, or 1653 Gentileschi, Museo di Palazzo Venezia, Metropolitan Museum of Art, St. Louis Art Museum. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art. ISBN   1-58839-006-3. OCLC   47650673.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Locker, Jesse (2015). Artemisia Gentileschi : the language of painting. New Haven. ISBN   978-0-300-18511-9. OCLC   877369691.
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  6. 1 2 D., GARRARD, MARY (2023). ARTEMISIA GENTILESCHI AND FEMINISM IN EARLY MODERN EUROPE. REAKTION BOOKS. ISBN   978-1-78914-777-3. OCLC   1373835306.
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  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Marie, Clements, Helen (2006). Painting beyond the canvas : an antithetical visual statement by women artists of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. [Verlag nicht ermittelbar]. OCLC   876140231.
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  11. ↑ ffolliott, Sheila (2021-02-24), "Artemisia Gentileschi", Art History, Oxford University Press, doi:10.1093/obo/9780199920105-0164, ISBN   978-0-19-992010-5 , retrieved 2023-03-30
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