Artemisia Gentileschi (1593-1654?) was one of the most important women artists before the modern period and certainly one of the most famous female painters of the 17th century . Gentileschi's paintings regularly featured women as protagonists acting in an equal manner to men. In fact, forty-nine of his paintings fall into this category. She was raped at the age of 18 and the events that followed brought her some notoriety. These factors have led many to interpret her works as an expression of her role as a victimized woman seeking revenge through her art. Instead, a closer look at Gentileschi's life and works reveals the artist as an individual of incredible personal strength and talent who painted subjects similar or identical to those of his counterparts male, instead of staying within the guiding principles of what was acceptable. feminine art.” Gentileschi was born in Rome and trained under her father, Orazio Gentileschi, himself a well-known painter of the time. Her first signed work, Suzanna and the Elders, was completed at the age of seventeen. A year later, she was raped by another painter, Agostino Tassi, who claimed during the subsequent trial that he had been hired by her father to give her lessons in perspective. She underwent torture to judge the veracity of her testimony against Tassi and he was ultimately convicted of the crime. Shortly after, she married Pietro Stiattesi, a Florentine painter, and moved to Florence. After six years in Florence, Gentileschi separated from Stiattesi and brought their daughter with her to Rome. The years that followed reveal that she traveled to many places; Genoa, Venice and London included, but completed his journey...... middle of paper ...... seen in the light of knowledge of his personal history, as if the rape and the trial were the determining factors . events in the history of his life. Instead, she demonstrated the courage to not only break the restrictive bonds of what was acceptable "feminine" artwork, but also to excel in producing paintings worthy of the masters, on the same terrain of game than any male artist of his time. Artemisia Gentileschi was not only an artist wanting to give visual expression to her personal experiences and feelings, but a businesswoman trying to please her clients and thus succeed in her field. Works Cited Garrard, Mary D. "Chapter 5-Judith". Artemisia Gentileschi. New York, NY: Rizzoli International Publications, 1993. 311. Print. Getlein, Mark. "Chapter 17-The 17th and 18th centuries." Living with Art. 9th ed. Boston, MA: McGraw Hill, 2008. 384-406. Print.