Meet the woman who helped revive Catholic art after the Reformation

[rug]

Judith Beheading Holofernes
by Artemisia Gentileschi

January 20, 2017
by CNA Daily News

Rome, Italy, Jan 20, 2017 / 03:01 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Baroque Italian painter Artemisia Gentileschi is hailed as a ‘feminist icon’ based on her portrayal of the female ‘hero,’ who through violence enacts symbolic revenge against men, and her supposed defiance of Counter-Reformation taboos.

But the artist should actually be remembered for the significant role she played in supporting the Catholic revival of art in the wake of the Protestant Reformation, as well as for her depiction of the core Christian struggle between virtue and vice, Vatican art historian Elizabeth Lev argues.

Considered one of the most accomplished artists in the generation following Caravaggio, her work is currently showcased in an exhibit running through May 7 at Rome’s Palazzo Braschi, which brings 30 of her paintings together in a single space for the first time.

Born at the end of the 16th century, Artemisia Gentileschi’s life has become predominantly known for the unfortunate circumstance of her rape at the young age of 17 or 18, and the difficult trial which followed, Lev said.

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/catholicnews/2017/01/meet-the-woman-who-helped-revive-catholic-art-after-the-reformation/

[Chiquitita]

1. Truly great painting

Thank you for sharing this. I'm in a study group on Renaissance Women artists and writers that has studied Gentileschi. Rather than revenge against men, I'd like to think the painting portrays a woman's ferocity and key role in the defense of her nation. Judith and Holofernes in the Bible appears in Judith Chapter 4.

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2. Thanks. I'll read up on the episode.