By

Leticia Marie Sanchez

Artemisia’s Strong Women: Rescuing a Masterpiece” is a fascinating window into strength and tenacity. The exhibit showcases the restoration of Hercules and Omphale, a painting by Italian Baroque painter, Artemisia Gentileschi. This painting was damaged in 2020 during a massive explosion in Beirut at the Sursock Palace. This captivating artwork, which had been embedded with glass and debris, emerged triumphant after a three-year conservation at the Getty. It is exhibited in conjunction with Bathsheba and David, Susanna, and the Elders, Lucretia, and other works by Artemisia Gentileschi. The once battered and now restored painting can be viewed as a metaphor for the life of its resilient painter, Artemisia.

Despite an onslaught of personal tragedies, Artemisia was a force of nature and emerged victorious. As a twelve-year-old, she endured the painful loss of her mother. As a young woman, she was raped by painter Agostino Tassi. Artemisia had to withstand a seven-month long trial of her rapist. Thankfully, Tassi was finally convicted and exiled to Rome after it was discovered that he was plotting to murder his own wife and steal the paintings of Artemisia’s father Orazio Gentileschi.  Despite these challenges, Artemisia did not give up. She earned the patronage of Cosimo II de Medici and King Philip IV of Spain. She was the first woman accepted into Accademia di Arte del Disegno in Florence. Most impressively, she commanded the same high fees for her paintings as did her male counterparts. Artemisia hired many models for her paintings, and her salary was used to offset the cost of the models.

What would a cultural cocktail be without a few surprising ingredients in the artistic mix? One surprising element in this panting’s conservation has to do with an unexpected contribution from pop culture. Ulrich Birkmaier, Senior Conservator of Paintings, revealed that Federico Castelluccio, an actor who plays a hit man on the Sopranos, also happens to be a painter. This once on-screen hit man assisted in painting during the conservation work on Hercules and Omphale.

Another intriguing fact has to do with the color used in this painting. Ulrich Birkmaier expressed that the material used for the shade of blue, Lapis Lazuli, was more expensive than gold. For this, and for manifold reasons, this painting with a captivating history, and a tenacious painter must be treasured.