Painting, Inclination and Astronomy · Italian Baroque

Artemisia Gentileschi gives substance to Painting, Inclination and Astronomy in powerful, active and intensely illuminated female figures.

Artemisia Gentileschi transforms allegory into physical presence. Trained in Rome by her father Orazio, then active in Florence, Rome, Naples and London, she mastered chiaroscuro and the dramatic gestures of the Baroque. In the Self-portrait as an allegory of Painting, painted around 1638 -1639, she takes advantage of a unique situation: since Painting is traditionally personified by a woman, the artist can be at the same time model, painter and incarnation of his art. The leaning body, the arm in action, the palette and the brush replace still pose with work. The leaning body, the arm in action, the palette and the brush replace still pose with work. The leaning body, the arm in action, the palette and the brush replace still pose with work. The leaning body, the arm in action, the palette and the brush replace still pose with work. The leaning body, the arm in action, the palette and the brush replace still pose with work. The leaning body, the arm in action, the palette and the brush replace still pose with work. The leaning body, the arm in action, the palette and the brush replace still pose with work. The leaning body, the arm in action, the palette and the brush replace still pose with work. The inclination, intended for Casa Buonarroti, represents a natural genius turned high gaze, sphere and intellectual light. These figures do not just illustrate an idea: they make it active and human. The selection "Allegories of Artemisia Gentileschi" notably compares Allegory of Inclination - Artemisia Gentileschi and Self-portrait in allegory of Painting - Artemisia. His reading favors details.

In Artemisia, the allegory is never cold: the idea takes on a body, a gesture and a light which immediately make it present.