false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171406886m/98048.jpg 98048 18 Like her bestselling debut, <I>Girl in Hyacinth Blue</I>, Susan Vreeland's second novel, <I>The Passion of Artemisia</I>, traces a particular painting through time: in this case, the post-Renaissance painter Artemisia Gentileschi's violent masterpiece, "Judith." Although the novel purports to cover the life of the painter, the painting serves as a touchstone, foreshadowing Artemisia's rape by Agostino Tassi, an assistant in her father's painting studio in Rome; the well-documented (and humiliating) trial that followed; the early days of her hastily arranged marriage; and her eventual triumph as the first woman elected to the Accademia dell' Arte in Florence. Although Vreeland makes a bit free with her characters (which she admits in her introduction), attributing some decidedly modern attitudes to people who would not have thought that way at the time, her book is beautifully researched and rich with casual detail of clothing, interiors, and street life. She deftly works history and politics into the background of her canvas, keeping her focus on Artemisia and her family. Beyond the paintings Artemisia left behind, Vreeland's vision may be as close as we can come to understanding the anger and ambition that kept this talented woman at the doors of the Accademia, demanding entrance, in a time when respectable women rarely left their homes. <I>--Regina Marler</I> 2003391 31 12 2002 The Passion of Artemisia total:1381|5:296|4:548|3:443|2:81|1:13| 1381 5176 1806 183 4 0 false false Mon Oct 12 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Oct 06 13:10:55 -0700 2009 Mon Oct 12 13:32:52 -0700 2009 1 more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Apr 15 17:13:13 -0700 2009 Tue Mar 31 11:17:41 -0700 2009 Wed Apr 15 17:13:13 -0700 2009 more...]]> 2 0 false false Mon Jun 22 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 09 17:50:46 -0700 2009 Mon Jun 22 18:49:38 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon Apr 20 09:12:57 -0700 2009 Mon Apr 20 09:19:39 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Nov 10 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Wed Nov 12 21:59:00 -0800 2008 Fri Nov 14 22:24:11 -0800 2008 Aspects that make me lean toward 5 stars:
- the story line! Such a fascinating story! This makes you turn each page with r...more...]]> 2 0 false false Fri Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Sat Jan 26 13:59:22 -0800 2008 Sat Jan 26 13:59:43 -0800 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Feb 21 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sun Dec 09 03:19:44 -0800 2007 Mon Feb 23 02:50:06 -0800 2009
Artemisia, a 17th century painter, is still a y...more...]]> 5 0 false false Wed Mar 11 15:55:32 -0700 2009 Wed Mar 11 15:59:54 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sat May 23 13:58:43 -0700 2009 Sat May 23 13:59:05 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sun Jan 18 18:47:10 -0800 2009 Sun Jan 18 18:56:29 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Jul 26 14:09:21 -0700 2008 Sat Jul 26 14:22:13 -0700 2008 more...]]> 2 0 false false Sat Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Jul 29 09:55:30 -0700 2009 Wed Aug 05 05:38:31 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Wed Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 30 17:34:12 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 30 18:02:28 -0700 2009 1 I can not get over how much I loved this book. I would recommend it to anyone who has any interest in art, romance or novels that empower women. Artemisia's story truly inspired me and made me want to research her life in depth. I am grateful that my AP Art History teacher...more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Nov 02 10:45:44 -0800 2009 Mon Nov 02 10:50:01 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Dec 18 10:42:55 -0800 2008 Thu Dec 18 10:43:04 -0800 2008 more...]]> 2 0 false false Mon Dec 29 00:00:00 -0800 2003 Tue Nov 18 21:47:32 -0800 2008 Sun Dec 14 18:52:39 -0800 2008 Even during the horrific scenes of the torture and examination in court fell flat...they seemed so dispassionately written. It bothered me the way it sk...more...]]> 3 0 false false Thu Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2005 Mon Mar 16 09:27:59 -0700 2009 Mon Mar 16 09:28:15 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Jun 30 08:38:26 -0700 2008 Mon Jun 30 08:47:58 -0700 2008 more...]]> 1 0 false false Tue Jun 09 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 09 10:06:03 -0700 2009 Wed Jun 10 19:41:21 -0700 2009
It was fun to read in that I am well-versed in all of the paintings referenced by Vreeland (the many Judith paintings, even the allegorical-figure-for-painting painting which is implied at the end of the novel). Vreeland'...more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Sat Sep 29 19:57:47 -0700 2007 Sat Sep 29 20:17:46 -0700 2007 more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=98048