Artemisia Gentileschi The language of painting

Artemisia Gentileschi is today one of the better-known painters of the Italian Baroque, thanks to a flourishing of scholarship precipitated by Mary Garrard's seminal monograph Artemisia Gentileschi (1989). Yet much of the knowledge of the artist and her works stems from the first half of her career in Rome and Florence, when she painted in a vigorous manner derived from that of the Baroque master, Caravaggio. Locker (Portland State Univ.) in this beautifully illustrated study aptly turns readers' attention to the "largely dismissed" paintings of Gentileschi's later periods in Venice and Naples and successfully argues for their place in solidifying the artist's achievements. In doing so, Locker sheds new light on Gentileschi's affiliation with literary and other intellectual circles in those cities, thereby demonstrating that artistic intelligence could be gained in ways other than a formal education. He also reveals that Gentileschi did not go unrecognized until recent times, as has generally been thought, but in fact was widely appreciated by 18th-century writers. Although Locker's discourse is aimed at a scholarly audience, his study significantly deepens understanding of this fascinating artist and is an important contribution to the field. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. --Julia K. Dabbs, University of Minnesota--Morris

This book focuses on the later work of the Italian Baroque painter Artemisia -Gentileschi (1593-1656). Gentileschi's youth and early career have been extensively explored, but her later achievements have been neglected by art historians. Locker (art history, Portland State Univ.) covers new ground as he discusses the artist's life and work from 1626 to just before her death, when she was active primarily in Naples and Venice. Countering previous claims that Gentileschi was isolated from her artistic and literary contemporaries and was not esteemed by them, Locker documents the artist's involvement with her peers and shows that the subject's fame not only outlived her but peaked in 18th-century Tuscany. The book's six chapters explore -Gentileschi's various artistic relationships, not merely with other schools of painting but also with Neapolitan poets and (posthumously) her 18th-century biographers. The artwork is depicted in 99 color and 17 black-and-white illustrations. Appendixes include poems and an essay written about Gentileschi, all in Italian. VERDICT Of interest to scholars in art history and women's studies.-Martha Smith, Elmira Coll. Lib., NY © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.