Mini Post #1 Artemisia Gentileschi "Saint Sebastian Tended by Irene" 17th century

Saint Sebastian Tended by Irene c.17th century

Artemisia Gentileschi

Artemisia Gentileschi was a Baroque painter during the 17th century. As a female artist it was difficult for her to be recognized, however her father was a famous painter and through his artist base he made his daughter known. She was an apprentice to her father, but he knew that her talent was far beyond his. Artemisia’s father Orazio hired a painter Agostino Tassi whom raped her and was found guilty and jailed for eight months. This incident made Artemisia’s reputation suffer and she “suffered a scholarly neglect that is unthinkable for an artist of her caliber.” She was a wonderful artist and her pro-feminine outlook on artwork set her apart from her male counterparts.

Painted in 1625, Saint Sebastian Tended by Irene is a baroque painting of Saint Sebastian’s wounds being tended to. This is an oil on canvas painted during the Renaissance by early baroque painter Artemisia Gentileschi. The wonderful thing about this painting is that focuses both females as the subject of the painting. The saint is “overshadowed” by the women helping them making them the focus of the piece as opposed to a male centered subject. The piece is a depiction of the Roman Catholic Saint Sebastian and Saint Irene of Rome and her maid. After Roman authorities attacked him in attempts to make him a martyr because of his sainthood these two women rescued him and took him to safety to mend his wounds. This piece highlights women as the heroines, and applauds them saving whom would normally be depicted as the hero in most stories.