Artemisia (European Women Writers) [Hardcover]

Anna Banti (Author), Shirley D'Ardia Caracciolo (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 1988 | Series: European Women Writers

Artemisia Gentileschi, born in 1598, the daughter of an esteemed painter, taught art in Naples and painted the great women of Roman and biblical history: Esther, Judith, Cleopatra, Bathsheba. She also painted the rich and royal, but her wealthy male patrons wanted admiration while her women models wanted disguise. This woman, who had been violated in her youth and reviled as a rap victim in a public trial before going off to heretical England, who was rejected by her father and later abandoned by her husband and misunderstood by her daughter, who could not read or write but who could only paint—this woman was one of the first modern times to uphold through her work and deeds the right of women to pursue careers compatible with their talents and on an equal footing with men.

Artemisia lives again in Anna Banti's novel, which was first published to critical acclaim in Italy in 1947 (Banti was the pseudonym of Lucia Lopresti, 1895-1978). Recognized as a consummate stylist, she was one of the most successful women writers in Italy before the resurgence of the feminist movement. Although Artemisia describes life in seventeenth-century Rome, Florence, and Naples, the time setting of the novel is, in a deeper sense, a historical, merging as it does the experience of a woman dead for three centuries with the terrors of World War II experienced by the author. Shirley D'Ardia Caracciolo's English translation of Banti's novel skillfully renders its complexity and poignancy as a study of courage.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The reissue, in translation, of Ital- ian art historian Banti's imaginative recreation of the life of artist Artemisia Gentileschi (1590-1642), initially published in 1947, is well deserved. This sensitive work of psychological portraiture, fluently translated by Caracciolo, is an intricate, self-reflective work of art. Banti fuses Artemisia's life with her own in Nazi-occupied Italy in a richly complex, historical narrative present, entering into dialogues with her heroine on how best to present her life, and on the nature and limitations of biography. As an unhappy adolescent in Rome, starved for love from her aloof father Orazio, a prominent artist, Artemisia allows herself to be seduced and is publicly humiliated for losing her "virtue." Hastily married off for form's sake, she is removed by the contemptuous Orazio to Florence where she begins to establish herself as a painter. Later, she assumes married life in Rome, but her husband abandons her when she asserts herself professionally. Eventually, Artemisia achieves independent success before she goes to her dying father's side where her art earns her his longed-for respect and approbation. Artemisia's struggle to fulfil herself, ensnared as she was in the toils of patriarchy with its punitive double standards, is a powerful lesson in courage and the sustaining powers of a vocation. Banti's richly poetical, wonderfully idiosyncratic prose amply rewards the attentive reader.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"One of the glories of twentieth-century Italian literature."—Susan Sontag, The New Yorker

(Susan Sontag The New Yorker )

"Banti''s often moving novel presents a psychological evocation of the woman artist. . . . We must be grateful to [the author] and her translator for this imaginative presentation of an extraordinary individual."—New York Times

(New York Times )

"This novel should change the way we think about historical fiction and its possibilities. . . . A thickly textured and moving portrait."—Boston Review

(Boston Review )

"That Banti was able to spin this lyrical novel from a few biographical details is as much a testament to her skill as it is to the woman who inspired her."—New Directions for Women

(New Directions for Women )

"This sensitive work of psychological portraiture, fluently translated by Caracciolo, is an intricate, self-reflective work of art."—Publishers Weekly

(Publishers Weekly )

"Artemisia’s story is compelling. The recreation of her world is rich in the visual and tactual details of the time, as well as emotional perceptions that transcend time. The vital bond between writer and subject envelops the reader completely."—Booklist

(Booklist )

"The book is evocative and beautifully written; Anna Banti illuminates Artemisis''a story with a lifetime of study in art history."—The Historical Novels Review

(The Historical Novels Review ) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 216 pages
• Publisher: University of Nebraska Press (December 1, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803212038
• ISBN-13: 978-0803212039
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,366,989 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Absolute Triumph, April 11, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Artemisia (European Women Writers) (Paperback)

Atemisia Gentileschi, born in Rome in 1598, is one of the most fascinating figures in the history of art, though very little is known about her life. The daughter of a painter herself, Artemisia painted beautiful scenes of the women of Roman and biblical history even though she could neither read nor write.

Artemisia had, to put it mildly, a turbulent personal life. She was discredited in a rape trial, betrayed by her own father and abandoned by her husband. Her professional life, however, was far different. She was the first woman admitted to the prestigious Florentine Academy; she established a successful art school in Naples; she raised her daughter on her own and supported herself financially during a time when a woman's life was defined only by home, husband, children and the Church.

Although the above is about the sum total of all that's known about Artemisia Gentileschi's life, writer, Anna Banti, managed to flesh out these bare bones facts into one of the triumphs of 20th century Italian literature.

"Artemisia" is definitely not a biography or even a fictionalized one. It is not a historical work; in fact, the setting of this book is definitely ahistorical. It consists of an amazing dialogue between the author and Artemisia. There are, as way I see it, three levels in this book: the experiences of Artemisia, the experiences of the author and a blending of the two, to make a very fascinating third.

The very essence of this book consists of Artemisia's travels, all made for the sake of her art. Included are the young Artemisia's traumatic experiences in Rome, her marriage, her years of success in Naples, her long and undoubtedly arduous journey to England and back again to her native Italy.

One of the things that makes this book so powerful is Banti's constant authorial intrusion, a device that would weaken (or destroy) more conventional novels. Moving back and forth from the thrid to the first person, Banti holds fascinating conversations with Artemisia. This leads to a captivating, but very complex, narrative. As the dialogue between author and subject intensifies, Banti complicates matters even further.

In 1944, when the first version of "Artemisia" was nearly complete, events of the war caused it to be destroyed. The "Artemisia" of the first version constantly intrudes on the "Artemisia" of the second version, however. Confusing? No, not really. Banti is far too good a writer for that. Complex? Yes. And lyrical and skillful and fragile.

Despite the fact that this is not a historical novel, it is highly atmospheric. There are no detailed descriptions to weigh down the weightless quality of Banti's lyricism, but there are many vivid images of 17th century Rome, Naples, Florence, France.

No matter how fast you usually read, "Artemisia" is a novel that should be read slowly. This is a demanding book that requires much concentration on the part of the reader, but this concentration will be richly rewarded.

There is a vague, circular quality about this book and, in a sense, it ends where it began. In reality, however, nothing is known about Artemisia Gentileschi's life after her return to Italy from England.

This book is complex, intricate, self-reflective and extremely lyrical. Although it has an ephemeral, gossamer quality, it succeeds wonderfully in bringing Artemisia Gentileschi to life in a vivid and wonderful manner.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars art meets history, March 23, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Artemisia (European Women Writers) (Paperback)

This is a haunting tale of a woman painter on the skirts of history. Anna Banti intertwines not only fiction with history, but also past and present and her own life with that of Artemesia. The story encompases a number of years and is written in a stream of conscious manner. It is not fully understood until the end. The reader becomes wraped up in the mystery that the author has created.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best of the fictional vesions of Artemisia, July 28, 2000

By 

Richard Burt - See all my reviews

This review is from: Artemisia (European Women Writers) (Paperback)

This is an extremely well-written and moving account of Artemisia. It is a modernist novel and is a dialogue between the the narrator and Artemisia. I highly recomend it.