Letizia Treves on Artemisia Gentileschi
In episode 48 of The Great Women Artists Podcast, Katy Hessel interviews the highly esteemed National Gallery curator, Letizia Treves, on the REVOLUTIONARY Baroque artist, Artemisia Gentileschi !!!!\n\n[This episode is brought to you by Alighieri jewellery: www.alighieri.co.uk | use the code TGWA at checkout for 10% off!]\n\nAnd WOW, it was on the eve of lockdown that Letizia (the show's curator) took me for a tour of "Artemisia" at the National Gallery,\xa0where we recorded this very special episode \u2013 so please come and join us!\xa0\n\nAn ICON of art history. A trailblazer. A revolutionary. And a great.\xa0Born on the cusp of the Baroque era in 1593, Artemisia Gentileschi is one of history's most famous artists, known for her STRIKING large-scale and monumental\xa0canvases of Biblical heroines, from Susanna, Judith to the Mary Magdalene.\xa0\n\nThe ultimate 17th century Baroque artist \u2013 whose exhibition marks the first EVER by a female artist on this scale at the National Gallery \u2013 never before has a show given such an incredibly well-rounded and triumphant stance to an artist. Not only do we hear from the artist herself through her many letters (to both her lovers and "illustrious patrons"), but we also hear from her through a 400 year-old transcript covering her rape trial. A document that asserts the young 17 year-old, who despite overcoming enormous amounts of personal and professional setbacks, asserts\xa0herself as a strong, courageous, dignified woman.\xa0\n\nThis exhibition of thirty DAZZLING works starts with Susanna and the Elders, made when Artemisia was still working in her father, Orazio's studio. We then move into Florence, where she moved in 1612 and became the star of the city \u2013 gaining patronage from the likes of the Medici Court. \n\nPortraying Judith Beheading Holofernes as if she were butchering a piece of meat, Artemisia was never afraid to show THEATRICALITY in her Baroque works, infused with psychological drama.\xa0\nOne of the greatest exhibitions I have ever witnessed, please join us as we tour this monumental show!!\n\nArtworks discussed:\xa0\nSusanna and the Elders, 1610\nJudith Beheading Holofernes, 1612\u201313\xa0+ 1620\u201321\nJudith and Her Maidservant, 1612\u201313\nSelf Portrait as Saint Catherine of Alexandria, 1616\nSelf Portrait as a Lute Player, 1616\u201318\nPortrait of Artemisia Gentileschi by Simon Vouet\nMary Magdalene\xa0in Ecstasy, 1623\nJudith and Her Maidservant, 1623\nSusanna and the Elders, 1652\nSelf Portrait as the Allegory of Painting, 1638\n\nFURTHER LINKS!\nhttps://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/exhibitions/artemisia\nArtemisia's rape trial:\xa0\nhttps://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/exhibitions/artemisia/artemisias-rape-trial\nJudith Beheading Holofernes:\xa0\nhttps://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/exhibitions/artemisia/judith-beheading-holofernes\nhttps://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/artemisia-gentileschi\nhttps://www.waterstones.com/book/artemisia/letizia-treves/sheila-barker/9781857096569\nhttps://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/artists/artemisia-gentileschi\n\n\nFollow us:\nKaty Hessel: @thegreatwomenartists / @katy.hessel\nSound editing by Laura Hendry\xa0\nArtwork by @thisisaliceskinner\nMusic by Ben Wetherfield\n\nhttps://www.thegreatwomenartists.com/