Despite sensational headlines like 'More Savage Than Caravaggio,' the work of Artemisia Gentileschi (Rome, 1593–Naples, 1654 or later) should not be defined solely by the trauma of the rape she survived or the subsequent trial she endured.

Women Painters in Early Modern Italy was an online art appreciation course I designed and published in 2023. After a few months of inactivity and with new projects on the horizon, I've decided to adapt part of the course material and share it here.

The post-Caravaggesque paintings of Artemisia Gentileschi still often disappoint modern viewers but, as these artworks are included in more seminal exhibitions and publications, preferences are changing.

Women artists seem to be all the rage these days. And rightly so. The wealth of exhibitions and publications, the changing role of art galleries and museums, the expanding interests of private collectors, and the resulting attention of the action houses not only prove that there is a thirst for more knowledge but also that art history is a rather dynamic discipline.