Artemisia Gentileschi: Glory, violence and passion of a woman painter

Conference by Serge Legat, historian and lecturer

Artemisia Gentileschi was born in Rome in 1593 and died in Naples around 1656. She was the daughter and pupil of the painter Orazio Gentileschi, and like him, she belonged to the Caravaggio movement and can be considered one of the great figures of the Italian Baroque.
During the Renaissance, Humanism gave new importance to social life, but women remained rare in the world of artistic creation. It was not until Artemisia Gentileschi that a professional woman painter emerged, capable of competing with her male colleagues and making her mark in a man's world.
 Above and beyond all prejudices and reticence, a life marked by drama and violence, Artemisia Gentileschi was and remains a milestone in the recognition of women's talent and the affirmation of their place and role in the art world. In one of her letters, she wrote: “You will find in me the soul of Caesar in a woman's body”. There's no better way to put it...