Artemisia Gentileschi was born in 1590 to painter Orazio Gentileschi. She quickly learned to sketch and paint and excelled more so than her brothers. She lost her mother at age 12, and didn’t have any other women role models growing up until a woman, Tuzia, became a tenant upstairs. Around age 17, Artemisia began private study with artist Agostino Tassi, who ended up raping her. Artemisia called to Tuzia for help who knew what was going on but she did not come to Artemisias aid. The only female role model Artemisia had betrayed her. Artemisia and her father took Tassi to court, where Artemisia withstood torture to uphold her testimony against him. She and her father won the trial, but after all that they went through, Tassi was not punished.
Artemisia painted…show more content… She painted herself as Judith and her mother as the maidservant who assisted her, which many critics think is very symbolic of missing her mother growing up and her rape. The background of the painting is very dark so the viewer is focused entirely on the act of Judith and the maidservant beheading Holofernes. Holoferenes is shirtless on a delicate white, satiny looking sheet, which very clearly shows the details of the blood running down under his head. There’s even a small, detailed blood splatter to the left of his head. His face is very detailed—his forehead wrinkled really showing his struggle. His right fist is clenched tightly up at the maids collar trying to push her off. Both women’s sleeves are rolled up past their elbows, Judith wearing a blue dress and the maid wearing red. The left side of the women’s faces is shaded as well as the maid’s right arm shading Holofernes fist at her collar. Other than a wrinkle in Judith’s brow, the women’s faces don’t show much of a struggle, but their arms are outstretched and taught, trying to hold Holofernes down. The painting is beautiful and extremely