Artemisia Gentileschi turns 427, Google dedicates artistic doodle to Italian Baroque painter

Happy Birthday Artemisia Gentileschi!!!

Google today celebrates the 427^th birthday of Artemisia Gentileschi, the great Italian Baroque painter, who is now considered one of the most accomplished seventeenth-century artists working in the dramatic style of Caravaggio. Google dedicates a very captivating artistic doodle on her 427^th birthday.

Artemisia Gentileschi is best known for her depictions of powerful heroines, many of which seem to reflect the prejudice and hardship she faced in her own life. She was born in Rome in present-day Italy on July 8, 1593. During that time when women had few opportunities to pursue artistic training or work as professional artists, she became the first women by becoming a member of the Accademia di Arte del Disegno in Florence and had an international clientele.

Artemisia Gentileschi was the eldest child of the Tuscan painter Orazio Gentileschi and Prudenzia di Ottaviano Montoni. She was introduced to painting in her father's workshop, showing much more enthusiasm and talent than her brothers, who worked alongside her. She learned drawing, how to mix colour, and how to paint.

In 1611, Artemisia Gentileschi’s father, Orazio Gentileschi was working with Agostino Tassi to decorate the vaults of Casino delle Muse inside the Palazzo Pallavicini-Rospigliosi in Rome, so he hired the painter to tutor his daughter privately. During this tutelage, Agostino Tassi raped her. Another man, Cosimo Quorli was also involved.

After Artemisia Gentileschi fell victim to a tragic crime in her teen years, her father brought her art teacher to trial, and though he was found guilty, her reputation was unjustly tarnished in the process. She rose above these circumstances to achieve enormous success in a field typically reserved for men.

Among her many accomplishments, in 1616, Artemisia Gentileschi became the first woman accepted to the esteemed Accademia del Disegno (Academy of Design) in Florence. She received patronage from the famous Medici family and even struck up a friendship with the legendary scientist Galileo.

Following centuries of relative obscurity, her paintings are today celebrated around the world, and an ornate plate rests in her honour as part of Judy Chicago’s iconic work ‘The Dinner Party’ (1979).

Today, Google honours the great Italian Baroque painter Artemisia Gentileschi on her 427^th birthday with an arty doodle.

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