Artemisia Lomi or Artemisia Gentileschi July 8, 1593 – c. 1656 was an Italian Baroque painter, now considered one of the most accomplished seventeenth-century artists working in the style of Caravaggio. In an era when women had few opportunities to pursue artistic training or work as professional artists, Artemisia was the first woman to become a member of the Accademia di Arte del Disegno in Florence and had an international clientele.
Artemisia specialized in scenes of heroines and stories centered on women from myths, allegories, and the Bible, including victims, suicides, and warriors. Some of her best known subjects are Susanna and the Elders (particularly the 1610 version in Pommersfelden), Judith Slaying Holofernes (her 1614–1620 version is in the Uffizi gallery), and Judith and Her Maidservant (her version of 1625 is at the Detroit Institute of Arts).
Artemisia was known for being able to depict the female figure with great naturalism and for her skill in handling color to express dimension and drama. The story of her rape by Agostino Tassi when she was a young woman, and her participation in the trial of her rapist long overshadowed her achievements as an artist. For many years, Artemisia was regarded as a curiosity, but her life and art have been reexamined by scholars in the 20th century, and she is now regarded as one of the most progressive and expressive painters of her generation.
