Artemisia Gentileschi

Artemisia Gentileschi painted strong women from the Bible and history, Judith, Susanna, Bathsheba, Cleopatra, as active, determined figures rather than decorative ones. Her style follows Caravaggio: dramatic light from one side, deep shadow and real, weighty bodies.

She was born in Rome in 1593 and trained in the workshop of her father, Orazio Gentileschi. She was the first woman admitted to the Accademia delle Arti del Disegno in Florence, worked for the Medici and later ran a studio in Naples, with clients across Europe. Her Judith Slaying Holofernes is in the Uffizi in Florence, and her Self Portrait as the Allegory of Painting is in the Royal Collection. She died in Naples around 1654.

Bathsheba and her Cleopatra pictures show her rich fabrics and strongly lit skin tones.