Arcadópolis
Nudity. This work is shown blurred, as in the Museum.Show work
Allegory of Inclination
Artemisia Gentileschi, 1615–1616
What you see
A young woman sits on clouds in a very tall, narrow format. With both hands she holds a round brass object, like a compass, up by her shoulder, and turns her head toward the upper right, where a small eight-pointed star shines. A blue-gray mantle covers her legs, and pale veils wrap her chest and shoulders.
The sky is blue-gray, and thick white clouds fill the lower part. Light from the left makes the silk of the mantle shimmer with golden highlights. Spot the star in the upper right corner, the braids gathered in her hair and her bare feet resting lightly on the cloud.
About Artemisia Gentileschi
Artemisia Gentileschi learned to paint in Rome, in the studio of her father Orazio, a follower of Caravaggio, from whom she took the strong contrasts of light and shadow. In 1616 she became the first woman admitted to the Academy of the Arts of Drawing in Florence, and later worked in Venice, London and Naples for nobles and kings. She painted above all heroines from the Bible and history with uncommon force and resolve; after centuries of neglect, she is today one of the most admired painters of the Baroque.
More by Artemisia Gentileschi
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