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Title: Artemisia: A Novel by Alexandra Lapierre, Liz Heron ISBN: 0-8021-3857-8 Publisher: Grove Press Pub. Date: November, 2001 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.3 (10 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: my review
Comment: In this book the author, Alexandra Lapierre, tells us the story of a great painter, Artemisia Gentileschi. A woman who not only had to fight all her life for real recognition of her art in a man's world, but she was also raped and had to suffer through a long trial to see her name cleared. On the other hand, she was compared, to the day she died, to her father, Orazio Gentileschi, who taught her everything she knew of painting.
The life of Artemisia had enough elements to make this book interesting, but the author was able to present very clearly and accurately the thinking of the times, the 1600's Italy, specially in regards to women painters and mostly women who had been raped.
The characters are very well presented as well as the customs of the times, in Rome, Florence and Naples, and later in her life, London.
Very good read.
Rating: 5
Summary: A Truly Excellent Account of a Great Artist
Comment: This book by Alexandra Lapierre on the life of the female artist, Artemisia Gentileschi, is a fascinating study of the world of art and Europe during the seventeenth Century. Having read a few books on Caravaggio I had come across the name of Artemisia but knew very little of her other than that she had been raped by another artist and later went on to become quite famous herself. This book told the story of not only Artemisia and her art but also her father, Orazio Gentileschi, and showed how artistic rivalry, love, family, honour and a passion for art interlocked their lives and careers.
The book is not a novel as the title suggests but is indeed a historical biography of Artemisia Gentileschi and her times. The author has used her skills as a novelist to fill gaps in the story of Artemisia but only with the greatest sense of historical correctness. The author has carried out extensive research on her subject and has used the results of this research to help fill the gaps in the story of this famous artist. She lets the reader know that at times she has fictionalised some of the narrative but never the facts.
Alexandra Lapierre provides the reader with comprehensive notes and references to show the reader why she has decided to use certain narrative or placed a particular slant on her perspective of some events. I found that this manner of story telling in this particular account did not detract from the book in any fashion. It may not please those historians or experts in the field of art but to me, a novice, I found it a great approach to help the reader understand this great artist and the times she lived in.
A number of colour plates are provided of not only Artemisia's paintings but also her fathers and other artists involved in her story. A number of maps have also been placed in the book to assist the reader with following the story, events and travels of Artemisia.
The story itself was well told and in particular I found the account of the rape case very interesting. This is an intriguing and very enjoyable book and I hope that the idea of some of the narrative being fiction will not put other readers off. In fact the 80 pages of notes used by the author to support her account makes fascinating reading in themselves. The book is over 500 pages and I found it a very easy to read account and it has provoked in me a desire to learn more about this great female artist. This book is well worth the effort to sit down and read and I hope that many other readers out there enjoy this book as much as I did.
Just for the interest other readers, in Australia the book is titled 'Artemisia: The Story of a Battle for Greatness'. Following are some reviews taken from the back cover:
"A book bristling with adventure, noise, passion and colour which recreates Baroque Italy in all its diversity, from the ballrooms to the torture chambers, from trials to marriages, from drinking parties to underground conspiracies" - Les Echos.
"Alexandra Lapierre has succeeded in enabling a non-specialist of the seventeenth century (99.9% of the population) to experience an artist's struggle through great literature." - Elle.
Rating: 4
Summary: For Art History Lovers
Comment: This wonderful novel is about the life of 17th century female Italian painter Artemisia Gentileschi. The first few chapters familiarize readers with all the elements that went into making a female artist at a time when the occupation was exclusively for men. Readers are introduced to Italy, Artemisia's father, the painter Orazio Gentileschi, the intense rivalry between artists, and the fact that during that time, artists were celebrities seeking fame and fortune. The next sections of the book, until almost the halfway point, are about Artemisia's relationship with Agostino Tassi and the trial that ensues. Agostino was a friend and colleague of Artemisia's father and the man who takes her virginity out of wedlock - a crime the family must defend their honor against - and Tassi is accused of rape, arrested, and tried in Roman court.
The author includes a great deal of historical fact, and speculates where documentation is missing, then seamlessly resumes the story so that the book reads like part history, part journalism and part storytelling. However, the second half of the novel was more history with elements of a story than a story steeped in historical detail. This may be due to the fact that the author is extremely faithful to the information of history and felt uncomfortable inventing motivations where there was not enough documentation to support such notions. So, there are several periods of her life that feel like sketches and I wished that the author had invented some for the sake of the story and keeping me interested, but I also liked knowing that the events were grounded in research.
Artemisia struggles throughout her life with her desire and drive to become a great painter and win the approval and recognition of her father. Throughout the rest of the book Artemisia has love affairs, several children, and paints in Florence, Rome, and Naples to name a few places. She participates in a great acquisition of masterpieces by the English, socializes with royalty and receives commissions from the papacy. She lived a remarkable life, and enjoyed exceptional success and freedom for a woman. I was so happy that there were color images of the most discussed paintings in the book, as well as maps that helped me to orient myself to the whereabouts of Artemisia in Italy and Europe. I do recommend having access to the internet since you may want to view some other artworks mentioned.
I didn't give this book 5 stars because there was a period about three quarters through the book when I was bored, but I persevered and the ending was satisfying and the book was excellent overall.
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Title: The Passion of Artemisia by Susan Vreeland ISBN: 0142001821 Publisher: Penguin USA (Paper) Pub. Date: 31 December, 2002 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
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Title: Artemisia Gentileschi by Mary D. Garrard ISBN: 0691002851 Publisher: Princeton Univ Pr Pub. Date: 01 January, 1991 List Price(USD): $45.00 |
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Title: Girl in Hyacinth Blue by Susan Vreeland ISBN: 014029628X Publisher: Penguin USA (Paper) Pub. Date: 03 October, 2000 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
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Title:Artemisia ASIN: B00005R87F Publisher: Miramax Home Entertainment Pub. Date: 03 June, 2003 List Price(USD): $19.99 Comparison N/A, buy it from Amazon for $17.99 |
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Title: Falling Angels by Tracy Chevalier ISBN: 0452283205 Publisher: Plume Pub. Date: 24 September, 2002 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
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