ROME (AP) – An exhibit in Rome explores the works of 17th-century painter Artemisia Gentileschi, whose artistic legacy is sometimes partially eclipsed by her fame for courageously testifying against the painter who raped her when she was a teenager.
It was rare in those times for a woman to achieve much acclaim as an artist. Gentileschi’s oil paintings, frequently featuring violent scenes and light-dark contrasts, partially reflecting Caravaggio’s formidable influence.
A curator, Francesca Baldassari, lamented at a preview Tuesday that Gentileschi was long studied more for her riveting biography than her art. Baldassari says some of Gentileschi’s scenes, depicting women beheading or stabbing men, perhaps served to “exorcise” the harm she suffered when raped.
Hosting the exhibit, running Nov. 30 through May 7, is the Rome Museum in Palazzo Braschi.