Orazio's First Impression Analysis
and was 17 at the time of composition, fitting into the narrative of her first signed work. Furthermore, there was dispute on the date of the work being 1610 because it was still too early for such a skill level and the date should be 1619 (Bissell, 1968), but Ann Sutherland Harris confirmed the date as 1610. Moreover, there is no consensus on the level of involvement of either Artemisia or Orazio ideologically or on the canvas. In his later work, Bissell proposes that Orazio had the idea in his mind because, accounts from her trial depict she was illiterate, but she was largely in charge of orchestrating the image on canvas with his helping hand, following tradition at the time (2005, p. 19). Harris (2008) suggests the painting was commissioned, therefore the subject was not chosen by her. Although it is still likely her father still had a hand in the composition. No academic can really pinpoint the exact involvement of either, but there are definitive
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In 1611 she was allegedly raped by Agostino Tassi, a friend and worker of her fathers workshop and in 1612, was in trial against him. This episode was beyond life-changing, it always has been and it always will be, and easily could have influenced her work. This is a popular consensus among literature, and in schools, that Artemisia was the ultimate feminist role model because she struggled against rape,accusations, the hardships of being a woman in the art world and still came out on top. Even more so when considering her claim that she was a virgin before the rape, which for women, was severely degrading to their status as they were seen and treated as weaker where their goodness was centred around good behaviour and chastity while men could also be judged by those (monastic life), they had more opportunity to be honourably good in political, civic or martial affairs (King, 1999, p. 35).
In 1611 she was allegedly raped by Agostino Tassi, a friend and worker of her fathers workshop and in 1612, was in trial against him. This episode was beyond life-changing, it always has been and it always will be, and easily could have influenced her work. This is a popular consensus among literature, and in schools, that Artemisia was the ultimate feminist role model because she struggled against rape,accusations, the hardships of being a woman in the art world and still came out on top. Even more so when considering her claim that she was a virgin before the rape, which for women, was severely degrading to their status as they were seen and treated as weaker where their goodness was centred around good behaviour and chastity while men could also be judged by those (monastic life), they had more opportunity to be honourably good in political, civic or martial affairs (King, 1999, p. 35).