Because Artemisia Gentileschi was the daughter of a painter, she had the privelege of learning to paint. In her time, girls and women were not usually allowed an education.

Gentileschi was an accomplished artist at an early age, and worked in her father's studio. While there, she was sexually harrassed and repeatedly raped by a man who also worked there. Because women were not allowed to file legal charges in those days, Gentileschi's father had to file on her behalf to take her attacker to court.

During the lawsuit, Gentileschi was tortured with thumbscrews in order to prove that she was telling the truth.

Despite this horrific treatment, Gentileschi mantained her case.

Her attacker was proven to have a criminal past, including prior sex crimes. Although the records are unclear, it appears that he was sent to prison for a short time.

Afterward, Gentileschi continued her career as an artist with much success. Her paintings were in great demand, and she eventually became a court painter to King Charles I of England. Many of her paintings emphasize women as strong, confident, and in charge.

Her self portrait, shown here, depicts her as actively engaged in painting. She does not look at us, the viewer, but rather is completely absorbed in her work. This depiction is in contrast to the custom of the time to represent women as passive subjects or as muses of the arts rather than as active artists themselves.

Unfortunately, many of her works had been ascribed to male artists as time passed. Only recently have art historians begun to give her credit for her work once again.

For more information on the life and work of Artemisia Gentileschi, try the following sources:

• Parker, Rozsika, and Griselda Pollock. "Critical Stereotypes: The Essential Feminine or How Essential Is Femininity." Old Mistresses: Women, Art, and Ideology. New York: Pantheon Books, 1981. 1-49. (See especially pages 20-26.)
• Guerilla Girls. "The Renaissance: Lives of the Girl Artists." The Guerilla Girls' Bedside Companion to the History of Western Art. New York: Penguin Books, 1998. 29-37. (See especially pages 35-37.)
• The Life and Art of Artemisia Gentileschi. Online. (This is a robust website with many images of Gentileschi's artwork.)
• Artist Hero: Artemisia Gentileschi. Online.
• Artemesia Gentileschi in the Movies. Online (This site critiques inaccurate portrayals if Gentileschi in film, and has links to many other helpful resources about Gentileschi.)