Artemisia Gentileschi free essay sample

Primarily strong contrasting lights and darkness display Gentileschi’s work, perhaps inspired by both her father and Caravaggio. Her paintings are all primarily bold compositions for example the way the subject matters are placed in the paintings you cant help but look at them, also the vivid colors Gentileschi used help with that too the deep red curtains and ultramarine sheets. This painting is quite large and is a horizontal rectangular format while using oil on canvas. (â€Å"Venus and Cupid†) The primary subject matter of the painting, Venus and Cupid, is Venus, the Goddess of Love. Artemisia Gentileschi seems to portray powerful women for example Judith, Susanna, Cleopatra, and Danae, depicted either as heroines or victims in the paintings. Cupid is also important in this painting, him being the son of Venus, he seems to be portraying the image of an overseer or a protector while Venus seems to be freely sleeping. We will write a custom essay sample on Artemisia Gentileschi or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page (â€Å"Venus and Cupid†) The artist is known to portray powerful women with meaningful subject matter as mentioned before. I also believe that Artemisia, the artist, chose this subject matter because this painting and scene was a perfect way for her display her extended education. This painting may have been a way to show her life, experiences and her luxurious life that she was living before Artemisia’s life hit tragedy. (A. , Sarah) Artemisia had been raped by Agostino Tassi, after which he promised to marry her but later broke it off, her father then went to the police and turned Tassi in, in the trial process Artemisia was tortured to figure out if the story she was telling about the rape was true or not. (â€Å"Art HERstory â€Å") The way Venus’s beauty is depicted in this picture of her resting so peacefully on the couch. In my opinion, Gentileschi may have put her self in place of all those women emotionally that she had painted throughout her career, even if the paintings were commissioned she may have added a hint of herself in them judging by her past. Gentileschi may have related to some of them or wished to be like some of them. In this particular painting she may have made it thinking of herself in place of Venus almost as a self- portrait of how she hoped her life was rather than how it turned out. For the 17th century, this painting fits right in along with the others. Most paintings from the century were paintings using oil on canvas. Many famous artists during that time period had adopted this trend to depict reclining beauty. Also, if an even closer observation can be made, you notice that in the background there is a temple. This temple is similar to the temple which has been built in the honor of Venus. The temple in the background is there to remind the viewer the importance of Venus, the Goddess of Love. That part of the painting seemed like the most intriguing part because it seems to stand out more because it just seems to be out there. Cupid seems to blending more into the background, maybe the artist is trying to display that Cupid may be more imaginary and just there to protect Venus from evil. (â€Å"The 17th Century†) The bed sheet, on which Venus is sleeping on, is actually supposed to have been painted using the color, ultramarine. The colors used are very strong, dark and cool which allow the main character to basically stand out of the painting. The colors basically compliment the painting well because it sets the mood for the entire environment. (â€Å"Venus and Cupid†) If you know a little about the Roman mythology, which is very similar to Greek mythology, you should remember that Cupid is supposedly the child of Venus. Knowing this little fact makes the painting even more understandable. It allows the viewer to visualize the relationship between mother and son. Gentileschi may have wanted to send the message of love between mother and son through this painting. Another way to look at it is if you look at her other paintings Gentileschi revolved her paintings around subject matters of women who were known for their courage, beauty and simplicity. Her paintings mostly consisted of women being dramatically nude in which it showed her style, which is dramatic realism. Therefore there are many ways to interpret the painting Venus and Cupid by Artemisia Gentileschi, it’s just the matter of how you see it.