Arcadópolis
The Conversion of the Magdalene
Artemisia Gentileschi, c. 1615–1616
What you see
A curly-haired woman sits sideways, wrapped in a yellow silk gown that fills most of the canvas. One hand rests on her chest; the other pushes away a mirror standing on a green table to the right. She turns her head the opposite way and looks upward. On the left stands a chair with a red back, and at lower right a jar peeks into view.
The yellow silk, with broad highlights and orange shadows, dominates an almost black background. Look closely at the mirror: above it runs the Latin inscription “Optimam partem elegit,” and on its surface you can just make out the reflection of an ear with a pearl. Notice, too, the bare foot peeking out from under the gown.
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
The Arcadópolis Museum has 443 public-domain works in 40 rooms, free to explore in 3D in your browser.