Painter of Heroines

Artemisia Gentileschi. Judith Slaying Holofernes

Last summer when I began writing about Women Artists I knew this day would come. The day I would have to write about Artemisia Gentileschi. Artemisia as a subject is terrifying - mostly because I admire her and feel small in comparison to the task of sharing her story. Many authors have written about her, so, what could I add to that story?

With your indulgence I hope to explain over the next few blog posts why I'm certain that Artemisia Gentileschi is the quintessential Bad-Ass.

It would be very easy to start with "Artemisia Gentileschi was born in Rome on July 8, 1593". But, instead, let's start with the paintings - specifically the subjects of the paintings. Later, when I share more about her life and art, the particular way she tells the stories of the subjects will begin to make sense.

No Renaissance artist portrayed women in the same way Artemisia Gentileschi did. Artemisia made the women in her paintings whole, passionate, vibrant, and powerful. In Judith Slaying Holofernes* Artemisia portrays the women as the heroes of the moment. Rather than painting Judith as a courageous beauty she is portrayed in the act of beheading Holofernes. Judith's maid assists by holding the struggling man down while she labors with the sword against his throat. Blood dramatically sprays across the maids arm, but neither women flinch. They are terrible and beautiful carrying out their mission.

Artemisia painted this subject several times and from different points of view. One version captures the moments immediately after the beheading as Judith and her maid collect Holofernes head in a basket. They pause, looking up from their grisly task as though they have been startled. Another version shows Judith and the Maidservant immediately after their work is done, peering back over their shoulders as though they are checking to see if they are being followed. In this painting we see Judith, triumphant, sword resting on her shoulder. Her face calm and resolute. Almost as an afterthought the head of Holofernes rests in the maids basket.

Artemisia Gentileschi, Suzanna and the Elders

In Artemisia's Suzanna and the Elders Suzanna is not some flirtatious girl who coyly ignores the attention from the old men, as in Massys piece (below). No, Artemisia painted Suzanna twisting away from the two lecherous old men watching her, horrified at being spied on.

Jan Massys, Suzanne and the Elders

Artemisia paints these women as heroines. Women that are morally strong, brave and courageous. Women who are protagonists. Just like Artemisia.


*As the ancient story relates, Assyrian king Nebuchadnezzar sent his general Holofernes to besiege the Jewish city of Bethulia. Judith, described as a beautiful young widow, resolves to save her people by slaying Holofernes herself. After reciting a long prayer to God, she dons her finest clothes in order to seduce him. After Holofernes has drank enough wine to become intoxicated, Judith decapitates him with his own sword, winning a decisive victory for the Israelites. (Angelica Frey, ARTSY, April 04, 2019)

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Selected Sources

The Art Story: Artemisia Gentileschi Artworks. https://www.theartstory.org/artist/gentileschi-artemisia/artworks/
Frey, Angelica. How Judith Beheading Holofernes Became Art History’s Favorite Icon of Female Rage. https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-judith-beheading-holofernes-art-historys-favorite-icon-female-rage
Vickery, Amanda. Bring female artists out of storage. https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2014/may/16/bring-women-artists-out-of-storage

A Feast for the Eyes

They say that we eat with our eyes first. I think Clara Peeters must have known that. While Fede Galizia ( the amazing Italian artist that I wrote about a few weeks ago) blazed a trail for still life painters Clara Peeters refined the genre and set the Dutch art scene on fire with her work. Her realistic paintings are lush and inspiring - that is the reason I choose her work as the background for this blog.

Still Life with Flowers and a Golden Cup, Clara Peeters

There are few facts available about Clara's private life. Most scholars believe she was born around 1585, give or take 5 years. There are baptism and marriage records from Antwerp for a Clara Peeters, however the name Clara was fairly common and Peeters was extremely common, so we can't be sure this is Clara Peeters the Artist. Her brush work suggests that she was trained in Antwerp and one of her later works bears the stamp of the Antwerp guild, so certainly she lived there for a time.

It is apparent that Clara was intrigued by reflective surfaces. Most every painting is a beautiful balance between shadow and light that is punctuated with reflections. We see a loaf of bread reflected on a silver plate, red wine reflected through a clear goblet, onto a silver tray below. And most interestingly the tiny self portraits - painted as reflections on gold or silver vessels.

Detail, Still Life with Flowers and a Golden Cup, Clara Peeters

Clara popularized "banquet" (or breakfast) still lifes. These were lavish displays of fruits, cheeses, meats, metal and ceramic dishes, tableware,  and flowers. As a woman artist in the early 17th century Clara would not have had access to nude models, so she painted what was everyday and familiar to her. We can learn as much about the diet of a Netherlandish family from her paintings as we can about making beautiful art. With her brush she celebrates an abundance of fish, fowl and bakery items in vivid, mouth-watering detail.

Vanitas Portrait of a Woman, Clara Peeters

Another interesting reflection appears in a "vanitas" painting that Clara produced in 1610. Vanitas is a specific type of still-life that emerged in the 17th century in the Netherlands. The carefully composed objects were meant to remind the viewer of the transience of life. These symbols often contrasted life and death, wealth and poverty, health and illness, etc. Clara's painting, Vanitas Portrait of a Woman, is a remarkable example of a vanitas work. In it we see a young woman (maybe a self-portrait), seemingly in the prime of life. But she looks sad and maybe a little bored with the riches spilled across the table before her. Clara uses flowers in the background to symbolize life, but if you notice there is one flower drooping and wilting, reminding us that life is short and death near. A small-ish bubble floating near the center of the painting. The bubble was a fairly common symbol used in vanitas painting, on par with candles, an hourglass or flowers. The bubble is used to symbolize the fragility of life.

Unlike other artists of the time, there are no records that Clara had any noble or wealthy patrons. However, she must have been successful. At least two of her paintings appear on the inventories of the Spanish King as early as 1627. It appears that Clara ceased painting around 1621. Some speculate that she married, and subsequently stopped painting, or that she may have passed away around this time.

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Selected Sources

Decoteau, Pamela Hibbs. Clara Peeters 1594-ca. 1640 : and the Development of Still-life Painting in Northern Europe
Vaninskaya, Anna. Fantasies of Time and Death. Palgrave Macmillan, London