Although there were other female painters that worked within the Italian Baroque period, there is something in the art and life of Artemisia Gentileschi that makes her unusual, explaining the continued interest in her story and her paintings.

Of course she is said to be a feminist; she was one of the first painters I studied in detail when I took my first feminist art history class.

But I believe her appeal goes deeper than the cliche that the term 'feminist' artist has come to mean. First and foremost, there is the fact that she was a brilliant and prolific painter, and one of great skill and pictorial nuance. Secondly, there is her life story, which, though that of a woman, stands out as those of many great artists do--a life filled somewhat with controversy, and one which at least partially was also portrayed in her work.

Gentileschi is most famous for her "Judith and Her Maidservant with the Head of Holofernes," depicting the biblical Judith graphically beheading Holofernes, an Assyrian general who had come to take vengeance on the Hebrews. Judith was the beautiful Hebrew widow who entered Holofernes's camp, seduced him and then beheaded him while he while he was drunk. As this can be viewed as A-1 bitch material, perhaps this is how Gentileschi became known to most in the modern era as a feminist painter. Perhaps also, the graphic, vivid and dramatic painting, unlike the work of other female painters of the era, was not easily forgotten.

As a student of the period, and as an apprentice to her father, Orazio, Gentileschi worked in the Chiaroscuro mode (meaning coming from darkness into the light), and was highly influenced by the the painter Caravaggio, who was the progenitor of this style of painting. It portrayed figures, also, in a grand style, often in a religious and historical context.

What separated Gentileschi's work from that of her father's and other contemporaries was her naturalistic style.

Her first recognized masterpiece was "Susanna and the Elders," which depicted two men planning the sexual harassment of a naked young woman. The placement of the men above the woman, who is supine, spells out a relationship of power and abuse inherent between the figures, unlike mere words could. It has been said that this painting, the first of her mature career as a painter, was a depiction of the events of her life at that time.

As she was denied entrance to the academy, being a female, Gentileschi's father Orazio instead hired a respected painter, Agustino Tassi, to tutor his daughter. During this time, Tassi raped the 17 year old Gentileschi. This is a known fact, because of the court records, which also state that Gentileschi was given a gynecological exam to prove she was a deflowered virgin while being tortured--her hands and fingers being squeezed by increasing degrees with a pair of tongs while she made her claims of virginity.

It was thought that if a subject corroborated their claim under torture, it must necessarily be true.

Much has been made of this incident in her life. And although it is obvious that a violent event like this would have an effect on anyone's life, Gentileschi went on to a vibrant career, a successful marriage, and had a number of children. The feminist theories and interests in her life and work do not dwell on these facts too often, instead focusing on the violence or sense of impending violence in her best works.

Many biographies of Gentileschi's life seem to exploit the scandals of her early life.  This includes the sensationalized film based on her life, which has been said to be more about selling sex rather than a realistic portrayal (or even a passionate, sexy one) of a female artist.

A revisionist look at the revisionist feminist look at art history almost seems to be in order concerning Gentileschi, one that takes into consideration her greatness as an extraordinary person of her time and an outstanding artist, rather than as a wronged woman.

Anything less is not giving the subject (or even women's history) true justice.