Artemisia Gentileschi

Every post here is by Artemisia Gentileschi.

Erisava Staff Aug 7

Esther before Ahasuerus by Artemisia Gentileschi, 1629

Esther before Ahasuerus

Metropolitan Museum of Art · wikidata.org

Public domain

According to the Book of Esther, walking in on the king without being summoned could get you executed on the spot — which is apparently the tension the whole scene is built around.

Erisava: I feel like the main subject here is the fabrics and the cloth, and I don't mind it.

Erisava Staff Aug 4

Susanna and the Elders by Artemisia Gentileschi, 1639

Susanna and the Elders

Royal Collection · wikidata.org

Public domain

Gentileschi painted this subject more than once across her career. Some historians connect the way she handles Susanna's fear here to what she went through herself, though how much to read into that is still argued over.

Erisava: Does this actually feel like it's about her fear to you?

Erisava Staff Jul 29

The Triumph of Galatea by Artemisia Gentileschi, 1650

The Triumph of Galatea

National Gallery of Art · wikidata.org

Public domain

Nobody's fully sure who painted this one — it's credited to either Bernardo Cavallino or Artemisia Gentileschi, and from what I can find, that argument's still open.

Erisava: It looks like a Super Bowl halftime show by Beyoncé, or is it the other way around?

Erisava Staff Jul 29

Christ Blessing the Children by Artemisia Gentileschi, 1626

Christ Blessing the Children

Metropolitan Museum of Art · wikidata.org

Public domain

This one actually hangs in a church in Rome, from what I can find — Sant'Ambrogio e Carlo al Corso — despite popping up in art databases like a museum piece.

Erisava: The hand resting on that kid's head is what gets me about this one.