Artemisia Gentileski went down in history as the first woman to be admitted to the Academy of Fine Arts. The victorious event took place in Florence, in the 17th century, at the time when woman painters hardly making great progress in Europe with still life and portraits. Biblical and mythological themes were "masculine" because of the scenes of nudity and violence. And then young Artemisia broke the ingrained rules: she enchanted the naked Susanna, who is being persecuted by lewd old man, and Judith, who, with the help of the maid, beheaded Holofernes! With the masterful knowledge and feelings of a rebellious victim, she created a work by which she stood shoulder to shoulder with men.

She expressed her determination as a child by taking on the role "son of the firstborn". She was born in 1593, in Rome, as the eldest child of Oracio Gentileski, who ran a painting workshop and worried if he would have a heir. Already as five-years-old girl, she excelled in drawing, and she also learned to distinguish color shades. For example, she recognized red as purple, scarlet, crimson, volcanic, Venetian, Titian's... In the easel classes, her father guided her hand with a brush. In a few years, she was introduced to the secrets of the craft (grinding paint into powder and the measure of adding oil), which enabled her to become an assistant before her younger brothers.

In those years, she watched the company of her father and Caravaggio (1571-1610), a magnificent painter who carried a sword, and got into big trouble due to his wild nature. She listened to the stories about their parties, but also the court invitations because they wrote slanders against one artist on the city's walls. It seemed that the painter's quarrels would continue, and then a sudden and sad peace loomed over the Gentileski family. After the death of the mother in childbirth, Artemisia was sent to nearby monastery of Santa Trinita del Monti at the age of twelve. Oracio was also withdrew from the crowd, both because of the loss of his wife and because of Caravaggio, who fled from Rome, because in 1606 he killed a man in a fight.

When she returned to the house and the workshop, Artemisia continued to paint and help her father: she was praised for not having a rival among her peers. When the main masters made frescoes on the churches, she took the lead over the apprentices. Overwhelmed with work, she wore the same worn-out dress, but it was seen that she had grown into an attractive girl. She finished her first independent work at the age of 17 and in "Susanna and the Elders" she showed influence of Caravaggio and Karachi. She choose a biblical story about the wife of a prominent Jew who is blackmailed by the judges with an indictment for adultery if she doesn't become their mistress.

Shortly afterwards, her father sent her friend and associate Agostino Tasi to show her pictures of perspective. Under the pretext that he wanted to take a closer look at the picture in the bedroom, Agostino threw her on a bad and rape her. Artemisia resisted with all her strength, but she didn't manage to defend herself. In rage, she threw a dagger into villain, who skillfully dodged. Then he promises of marriage were accepted, on the condition that she keep silent about everything. She often cried secretly, and when her father found her, she had to say reason: she admitted the horror of the rape, as well as that one picture was missing in the house.

Torture rope

Oracio demanded that Agostini marry Artemisia and return the stolen property, but as he did nothing last nine months, he addressed papal court and Pope Paul V, stating that Agostini Tasi had betrothed Artemisia Gentileski once violently, once on fraud, as a so-called fiancee. He complained that as a father he suffered damage, because he couldn't sell his daughter's painting well due to her bad reputation. Since the trial was public, it caused a great deal of attention. The young painter sensed gossip, but swore that she would endure, until the victory of truth and justice.

On the day of the trial on May 14, 1612, she appeared as a witness and the curious world took her seats in the pews. When the curtain was drawn to separate the judge and the torturer from the audience, it was known that the prepared tool for torturing the "sybil" was made of a strong rope and a wooden screw.

But the sinister device wasn't applied on to the rapist, but to the victim. The rope was tied to Artemisia around each finger, and then it was pulled with such force that it cut into the skin. Question followed as to whether she had committed fornication with certain men: the persistent answer to "No" was growing pressure of the device. When she started to bleed and soaked the sleeves of her dress, she was asked to reveal the secret of chastity, because otherwise her fingers would be crashed andand deprive her of painting.

She stated in front of the gathered that she lost her virginity by rape, with a description of the event. During the painful torture, she shouted at Agostini: "Is this the ring you gave me? These are your promises?

The two midwives ordered her to lie down on the table, for an examination and a medical report. The trial lasted for seven months and three hundred pages of statement was created. At the following hearings, it was revealed that Agostini Tasi had been accused of rape before, that he was married, that he hired robbers to get rid of his wife. During this stay in prison, he began to change his statements and lie more and more blatantly, ignoring the warnings of the judge. He first claimed that he never crossed the threshold of the Gentileski home. He later stated he still came, that it was brothel where the head of the family was engaged in bribery, and all woman was engaged in prostitution: that the daughter was sold for small money, even for a loaf of bread. Apart from calling suspicious witnesses, he cited embezzlement with erotic letters as key evidence, even though the painter didn't know how to read and write that time.

While waiting for justice and healing wounds, Artemisia could feed only with someone else's help. As soon as she recovered a little, she devoted herself to the painting "Judith beheaded Holofernes". She appreciated the legend of the heroine who saved the Jewish people from the Assyrian tyrant, with the help of wine and knife. Through dreams of revenge, she got rid of the surviving nightmare and the citizens shouted that she was a "whore". From early in the morning, she put on a painting coat and sat for an easel, because she new that with the difficulty of holding the brush, she would progress slowly. She tried to give the strength of her maid's body and hands on painting, but also personal courage and determination. Unlike Caravaggio's "Judith", she showed two heroines who joined forces to realize plan. She studied the mastery of her favorite painter in the Church of Santa Maria del Popolo in Rome, so following the example of the "Transfiguration of St. Paul", she applied the play of light and dark (chiaroscuro) for the purpose of excitement.

She noticed that Agostini's friend were stalking her, and then she received a message from the accused to deny everything in court and accept the marriage. She refused. She was surprised that the stolen painting is secretly returned to the house. On the day the verdict was pronounced, the whole of Rome shone in the courtroom. And then it was pronounced: Agostini was released, because he spent six months in prison and settled his dept. He was supposed to be expelled from the city for influencing witnesses, but pope Innocent X protected him. Artemisia find out that the rape compensation had been agreed with her father and wondered were justice was.

As a baroque "female Caravaggio", she won equality with men in field of study, painting, career, travel... She performed fearlessly, just as she used to defend honor in court, under pain.

Lead image: Artemisia Gentileski self-portrait

Literature and images: Politica's Entertainer, number 3579