Artemisia

In the article “Artemisia’s Trial by Cinema” Mary D. Garrad diminishes the film to the point of referring to the content as nonsense and “one of the most damaging stereotypes for women”. She discusses the poor portrayal of Artemisia as going against ideals, which are “genuinely” feminist. Garrad is discouraged by the twisted portrayal of Artemisia’s life and the depiction of her relationship with Tassi. The film does not show her as a strong female figure but rather as a woman who is pressured by a volatile relationship. Garrad also discusses the poor portrayal of Artemisia as an artist. In the film her artist talent is shadowed over by her lessons and sexual relations with Tassi, “By Merlet’s own account, the key theme of the film is that Artemisia’s sexual initiation by Tassi launched her artistic creativity, awakening her aesthetic and sensory perceptions through his teaching and knowledge”. Garrad is extremely discouraged by the misrepresentation of Artemisia because as stated in her article, Americans obtain most of their information from T.V. and entertainment and will accept Merlet’s interpretation of the story of Artemisia as a valid portrayal.
In the article, “My Heart Belongs to Daddy”: The Fictionalization of Baroque Artist Artemisia Gentileschi”, Tina Olsin Lent discusses how Artemisia has become a famous figure in the late 20th century but her story has been fictionalized conforming to “conventional literary genres”. She discusses how representations of male and female artists are interested in different aspects of the life of the artist. In my opinion, the most interesting comment in Lent’s article discusses the construction if the female artist biopic and the misrepresentation due to gender issues. She states, “the conflict between the roles of artist and woman plays out through the narrative construct of the romance story, where womanly qualities and traditional goals are embraced, ambition is abjured, and accomplishment is credited to luck and the conceit that a woman’s life achievement is pursued her like a conventional romantic lover.” Lent’s main issue and concern is how culture and gender inequality leads to misrepresentation of women in order to conform and avoid controversy. Women artists are represented under the umbrella of their male mentors and/or “attachment to famous men,” in the case of Artemisia both Orazio Gentileschi and Tassi. The romantic details of their life and relations with male figures hold more importance in the depiction of the female artist. The fictionalization of Artemisia’s life is a perfect example of the misrepresentation of female artists and how their lives and art have been lost in the traditional male canon of art history.
In the article, “Feminist historiographies and the woman artist’s biopic: the case of Artemisia”, Belen Vidal discusses issues of post-feminism and their relation to Artemisia and the film Artemisia. Vidal focuses on the films depiction of Artemisia’s romantic life and neglect to discuss the artist talent and strength of Artemisia herself as a pioneer for women artists. Vidal emphasizes how discouraging the misrepresentation and fictionalization of the female artist in order to create entertainment value. Vidal is discouraged by the historical inaccuracy of the film, which many viewers who do not have prior knowledge of the artist will understand to be a true representation. Vidal discusses the potential the film had to portray such a powerful female figure in history, but rather decided to create a “narrative developed within a mise-en-scene of sexual awakening and heterosexual romance.”
Personally I do not believe that fictionalizing history in a biopic is acceptable if the correct information is available. Viewers who do not have prior knowledge on the subject will understand the information that is presented to be a valid as they do not have any other basis for comparison. Especially, in the case of a female artist such as Artemisia Gentileschi whose influence changed the way that we look at the woman artist. It seems lazy and ignorant to misrepresent such an important figure in history for entertainment value. Not only does it show how motion picture companies do not respect their viewers’ intelligence it also contributes to the issues of misrepresentation of females in history. I understand if the information is not available, but in the case of Artemisia Gentileschi there are official documents of the rape trial. Although, Miramax was forced to change the description of the film from historical documentation to a fictional biography, I believe that they should have invested more energy in accurately representing a female figure in history who has the capability to change the way people look at women and their role in the world and in art.