It’s an old story—men preying on girls and young women. Today, as women come forward to expose the sexual predator, Artemisia Gentileschi stands as a perfect symbol. She stands as a figure for justice, having been raped in 1610 at the age of 17. With an iron will, she endured a grueling seven-month trial, physically tortured as part of it to verify her testimony. her abuser, Agostino Tassialso a painter, was convicted. His sentence was exile from Rome, which was never carried out, and he served less than a year in prison. Artemisia continued to create stunning paintings throughout her life, most of which depicted powerful women. She was the first woman admitted to the Accademia di Arte del Disegno in Florence, an academy of eminent artists of the Medici court, of which Michelangelo was also a member.
Clearly Artemisia was influenced by her contemporary Caravaggio—their common use of chiaroscuro, painting on a dark ground rather than the traditional white, creating lighter tones. Unlike CaravaggioHowever, Artemisia’s work focuses on the power and vulnerability of women, the subjugation of men and the transformation of violence. IN Judith beheading Holofernes (1620), a determined Judith decapitates the drunken Assyrian general with two swift blows, drawn from the apocryphal Book of Judith. Holofernes had ventured to besiege the city of Judith; Tassi had dared to surround Artemisia’s virginity. The painting is a graphic depiction of revenge. Unlike Caravaggio’s version of the same subject, the red blood here is anatomically correct, bursting upwards and pooling downwards. Artemisia’s Judith looks calmly determined, the culmination of a well-planned act, while Caravaggio’s Judith leans over as if terrified. Artemisia’s Judith also leans in – but only because blood is spilling over her golden dress. It is worth noting that the bracelet Judith wears is associated with numerous portraits of Artemisia herself.
Another stunning painting is Madonna and Childpainted when Artemisia was only 20 years old. The love between mother and child is palpable and the child’s gentle touch to his mother’s face is especially touching. Artemisia gave birth to five children between 1613 and 1618 – four sons and one daughter. Prudentia, named after her mother, was the only one to survive childhood.
A rare opportunity to see three of Artemisia’s paintings is now at the Columbus Museum of Art in Columbus, Ohio. Seeing these works in the museum gallery, with other paintings of the same period, is proof her masterful manipulation of rich colors, her dramatic and vivid compositions and her unique interpretation of mythical subjects. Like Caravaggio, she worked with live models, enabling her to capture gesture, expression and reaction in the moment of action. Lucretia (1627) reveals a mature artist, painted when Artemisia was only 34 years old. It describes the public suicide of the Roman noblewoman: Lucretia had been raped by Sextus Tarquinius, the son of the former king of Rome, and her act of revenge sparked a revolution that replaced dynastic rule with an elected republic. With glittering pearls and glowing fabric set against luscious flesh and hair, the painting shows Lucretia praying heavenward, vulnerable and uncertain—a self-portrait of Artemisia herself, tortured in her innocence. She would rather die than be dishonored.
Also in the exhibition of the Museum of Columbus is equally intriguing Hercules and Omphale. The myth is usually treated as satire, with humor, but here Artemisia approaches it with characteristic seriousness. Queen Omphale takes the Greek hero Hercules as her slave in punishment for killing her brother, forcing him to wear women’s clothes and spin wool. She not only deceives him but also seduces him, as evidenced by his gaping gaze and the gleeful Cupid resting on his thigh as billowing clouds loom beyond the gate. Hercules is clearly lost. Omphale triumphs. The gallery also has an excellent touch screen station where visitors can scroll through 60 depictions of this myth by various artists throughout the centuries. Neither is as dramatic, powerful or charged with feminine power as Artemisia’s.
Bathshebaowned by the museum, describes another myth that resonates strongly today. King David spies the beautiful woman in her bath from his balcony above, plotting to possess her. Bathsheba is married to Uriah the Hittite, so the king sends her to battle to the death. Historically, the story has been interpreted as Bathsheba seducing the king, but Artemisia knows better. Taking a different perspective, it shows Bathsheba’s beauty alongside her vulnerability and innocence – bathing on her balcony, surrounded by trusted female attendants, completely unaware of the king’s malevolent gaze above. Artemisia’s rendering of expressive hands and feet, in her male and female figures, is a marvel. She was a master draftsman.
One would like to see an exhibition that brings together Artemisia and Caravaggio side by side – her virtuous, powerful women alongside his tricksters, their shared reds and blacks, the play of shadow and light. Their paintings would speak beautifully to each other. But the moral weight of Artemisia’s plays reaches beyond that of Caravaggio. Her work is for the ages, protecting women for 500 years. She was powerful in her drive to change things. Unfortunately, the fight is far from over.
“Artemisia Gentileschi: Naples in Beirut” is at the Columbus Museum of Art through May 31, 2026.
More exhibition reviews
