Artemisia Gentileschi

Artemisia Lomi Gentileschi was producing professional work by 15, trained in the Caravaggesque style that would define her command of naturalism and dramatic color. Around 18 she was raped by Agostino Tassi; during his trial she was tortured to give evidence — a fact that long eclipsed her actual achievements. She became the first woman member of the Accademia di Arte del Disegno in Florence and worked for an international clientele, including a stint at the court of Charles I of England from 1638 to 1642, which she likely fled as civil war broke. Her whereabouts went dark, but by 1649 she res…