Artemisia Gentileschi’s first masterpiece was “Susanna and the Elders.” The piece is a depiction of the biblical story of Susanna, who was blackmailed by two elderly men that threatened to spread lies about Susanna’s promiscuity unless she were to lie with them. She refused and was sentenced to death until divine intervention turned the trial on her accusers, proving her innocence. The artistic renditions of the piece during the renaissance were usually used to tell a story of salvation by faith in God. What was so unique about Artemisia’s version of the painting was the meaning behind it. Her painting was not about triumph or salvation. It was about suffering and the darker nature of men. The painting was based on her own experiences, as she herself was raped by her painting tutor, Agostino Tassi, and was blackmailed into continuing a sexual relationship with him. He had promised to marry her, which would save Artemisia’s reputation and future after losing her virginity before marriage. The only reason Artemisia’s father was able to press charges against Tassi was because the man had taken Artemisia’s virginity, and thus lowered her worth as an unmarried woman. Even with all of the plots, thievery, and adultery surrounding Tassi that had come to light, he was only sentenced to a year of imprisonment, and never actually served his time. Artemisia’s own struggles and suffering because of her rape were glossed over and not taken seriously, much like her original painting was.
This x-ray of “Susanna and the Elders,” restored by the artist Kathleen Gilje, shows what was hidden underneath the finished product, a far more emotional and disturbing scene. It is not certain as to why the original picture was changed or by who, though it is thought to have been changed because the image did not fit the artistic norm of the time. For example, Alessandro Allori’s “Susanna and the Elders” below is a much more common depiction of the scene.
Artists would paint Susanna as voluptuous, calm, and even accepting of the lustful elders’ advances. This does not in any way resemble the traumatic struggle that Artemisia’s work depicts. The humanistic naturalism of her work depicts raw emotions, rage, and fear, even going so far as to arm her victim. Her realistic approach to painting women allowed for her paintings to treat women as characters with their own emotions, rather than ideals. Her painting was incredibly true to life, depicting the futile struggles of an innocent young woman doomed to suffer for being wronged by others.
Allori, Alessandro. Susanna and the Elders. 1607. Oil on canvas. Musée Magnin, Dijon.
Gentileschi, Artemisia. Susanna and the Elders. 1610. Oil on canvas. Schönborn Collection, Pommersfelden.
Gilje, Kathleen. Susanna and the Elders. 1998. Restored – X-Ray. Kathleen Gilje. Web. 10 June 2015.
caitlinjfulkerson 