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The Passion of Artemisia

Susan Vreeland

3.88 · Rating details · 16,424 ratings · 857 reviews

From extraordinary highs - patronage by the Medicis, friendship with Galileo and, most importantly of all, beautiful and outstandingly original paintings - to rape by her father's colleague, torture by the Inquisition, life-long struggles for acceptance by the artistic Establishment, and betrayal by the men she loved, Artemisia was a bold and brilliant woman who lived as s ...more

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Paperback, 315 pages

Published January 2003 by Penguin Books (first published November 8th 2001)

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Aug 19, 2014 B the BookAddict rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommended to B the BookAddict by: Chrissie

Shelves: historical-faction, bingo-challenge

Susan Vreeland fairly faithfully follows and recounts the real events in the life of 17th century Italian Baroque painter Artemisia Gentileschi Lomi. Passionate about her art, she fought for acceptance in the artistic community and was the first woman to become a member of the Accademia di Arte del Disegno in Florence.

Raped at seventeen, Artemisia was indignant when her father, Tuscan painter Orazio Gentilesch, was paid off by her rapist to drop the charges. She had suffered during this male or ...more

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Feb 21, 2017 Candi rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: snakesandladders, book-i-own, historical-fiction

"If a person loves something above all else, if he values the work of his heart and hands, then he should naturally, without hesitation, pour into it his whole soul, undivided and pure. Great art demands nothing less."

Artemisia Gentileschi, 17th century Italian Baroque painter, was passionate about her life’s work. Author Susan Vreeland presents a compelling glimpse at one of the most fascinating and progressive artists of her time. Artemisia is raped by her father’s colleague, scrutinized and t "If a person loves something above all else, if he values the work of his heart and hands, then he should naturally, without hesitation, pour into it his whole soul, undivided and pure. Great art demands nothing less."

Artemisia Gentileschi, 17th century Italian Baroque painter, was passionate about her life’s work. Author Susan Vreeland presents a compelling glimpse at one of the most fascinating and progressive artists of her time. Artemisia is raped by her father’s colleague, scrutinized and tortured by the courts, treated as a wrongdoer rather than a victim, and scorned by the people of Rome. Yet despite the turmoil of her young life, she overcomes all this and goes on to paint what are considered some of the most brilliant paintings of all time. She becomes the first woman ever accepted into the prestigious Accademia di Arte del Disegno in Florence.

The story of Artemisia’s life is one of betrayal, the meaning of forgiveness, and the relationships between fathers and daughters and mothers and daughters. It’s about the role of women in a male-dominated society and profession, as well as the powerful influence of the Vatican in matters outside the boundaries of religion alone. There are some gorgeous descriptions of not just Artemisia’s work, but of the art produced by other accomplished masters of Italy as well. Having no talent for art whatsoever, I still get caught up in the expressive language and descriptions of paintings and sculptures and did so once again. As Artemisia’s name becomes known and her creativity sought after, she moves within Italy as patrons summon and commission her to paint for them. The cities of Florence, Genoa, Naples, Venice and Rome come alive for the reader, as they did for Artemisia. "Every shade of yellow ochre, sienna, orange, cinnamon, and dull green powders spilled out of large muslin bags onto the street. The colors of my new city. In every piazza a sculpture, in every niche the patron saint of some guild. Everywhere I looked, art! A new life was opening for me."

Yet, despite all this, Artemisia is followed throughout her life by the shadow of the monstrous crime committed against her, by the bitterness towards the perpetrator and towards her father whose actions surrounding the trial trouble her spirit. She struggles to make sense of a daughter who would choose love over painting.

An engaging and enjoyable piece of historical fiction, The Passion of Artemisia lacked a bit of a connection to its characters. I admired Artemisia, but felt a bit distanced from her. Perhaps simply because I lack the passion for making art myself – although I marvel at the beauty of works of art. The narrative was a bit rushed at certain times, squeezing in a large portion of her life into a fairly short book, considering. I have to say that the ending was moving and splendidly written. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in reading about the life of an artist and perhaps historical fiction lovers in general. 3.5 stars rounded up ...more

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Oct 29, 2010 Suzanne rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: time-modern-early, genre-historical-fiction, language-dutch-translation, setting-italy, topic-artists-and-writers

I love love love this book. It had been sitting on my shelves for years before I read it, and though I could be sorry I waited so long, somehow I'm glad for the hidden treasure it became. I found the book very interesting and well written. I already knew about Artemisia from a movie I saw, but as usual, the book left a far bigger impression.

The only thing that could improve this book, or at least the cheap Dutch edition I read, is a list of Italian words used and (color) prints of the paintings ...more

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Jan 04, 2010 Chrissie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: history, religion, relationships, arts, italy, kirkus, bio, text-checked

Finished: I feel like I was a bit harsh in all my previous criticism. However what I said IS what I felt at those particular points in the book. I am giving this 4 stars - the ending was superbly done. What can I say other than that I forgive all the previous faults that irritated me. Still, one can be almost proud to NOT be religious! The title is perfect. The Passion of Artemesia is the passion that moves an artist. Now at the end, I simply have deep respect for this woman, artist, mother and ...more

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Dec 11, 2012 Hilary G rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Ex Bookworm group review:

It took me rather a long time to read this book. Despite the fact the life of a female painter in what was pretty much a man's world was a great subject, the book failed to engage me somehow. I felt unmoved by Artemisia's suffering in the same way she suspected her daughter Palmira was, and for the same reason, I suspect. It was too far removed from the world I know to have any real meaning for me.

My progress through the book was a series of highs and lows. I liked the d Ex Bookworm group review:

It took me rather a long time to read this book. Despite the fact the life of a female painter in what was pretty much a man's world was a great subject, the book failed to engage me somehow. I felt unmoved by Artemisia's suffering in the same way she suspected her daughter Palmira was, and for the same reason, I suspect. It was too far removed from the world I know to have any real meaning for me.

My progress through the book was a series of highs and lows. I liked the descriptions of Florence and some of the great works of art to be found there. I was fascinated by Artemisia's thought processes when she was creating a new painting, and by the details about proportions, light and shade and the mixing of pigments (the colours had wonderful names), how she looked at things and tried to paint truth. I was immensely irritated by the Italian words scattered needlessly (and, on the whole, meaninglessly) throughout the book. In italics, too (my pet hate). I couldn't be bothered to look them up and find out what they meant, sometimes I guessed, sometimes I didn't care. But I didn't see the point of putting 'cassone' when trunk would do just as well (if I guessed right). Perhaps I shouldn't object to Italian words and Italics in a book about Italy, but I did.

Artemisia was a bit too much of a victim for my liking, and often, she was a victim of herself. She wanted to be loved but she wasn't very loving. She was supposedly betrayed by her husband, but she was not exactly a bundle of warmth and love herself. She wanted everyone to accept her for what she was, but she didn't do that. She was determined Palmira would be a painter despite her having no interest in painting. I'm sure she felt betrayed by Palmira too, but she betrayed little understanding that her daughter might have different aspirations. In many senses, Artemisia was as wooden as Palmira's Bathsheba. Painting was her only passion and when she wasn't painting, she was not particularly interesting. But even painting didn't seem a source of joy to Artemisia, just an essential part of her being. She was rather lacking in joy overall, though there were some funny moments, they were unintentional, such as her rather carnal use of Michelangelo's paintbrush and her statement to Galileo that she would try to feel the earth move.

To my own surprise I was moved by the ending of the book, which brought quite a lump to my throat. Looking back on what I had read I decided Artemisia was a very interesting person despite what I thought of her along the way.
...more

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Mar 08, 2014 Natasa rated it really liked it

Shelves: italy, art-history

I found this to be a nice easy read with characters that held my attention, and a story that was interesting enough to make me want to find out more about Artemisia and her life. I would have liked a more in-depth look at Artemisia and her husband, their relationship, and his relationship with his daughter. Although this was not a page-turner, it held my attention, and I cared about the people in the story. I enjoyed the descriptions and the interpretations of Artemisia’s paintings, Italy, and t ...more

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Jan 17, 2016 Jeanette rated it it was amazing

What a fabulous read. From the first I was enthralled and through out remained encompassed by Artemisia. Specifically the complete fight within herself between the want/need for a personal life and her over-whelming necessity to channel her art within painting. And the time period and associations for access to the finest and most innovative of her time on top of all that. It truly became a book I could not put down.

Having read others of Susan Vreeland, I know how she can grab the depth of a cha What a fabulous read. From the first I was enthralled and through out remained encompassed by Artemisia. Specifically the complete fight within herself between the want/need for a personal life and her over-whelming necessity to channel her art within painting. And the time period and associations for access to the finest and most innovative of her time on top of all that. It truly became a book I could not put down.

Having read others of Susan Vreeland, I know how she can grab the depth of a character and an era. And I will return to try others of hers now. But this one! Superb.

This became a study of not only her painting onus, conceptions and biography- but much more in depth- the horrendous betrayal tale and if forgiveness or revenge triumphs in eventuality. That particular tale is seldom done as well as it was here. There are myriads of stories and personal tales of triumph, failure, opening of awareness to fact/ education or change in growth or travel- but very few that dare to jump the stockade of forgiving a vile and treacherous attack of duplicity. And especially from a blood family or marriage partner. This one does that to its plummets.

Thank you, my GR friends, for this recommendation. Every aspect of this one was sublime. As bright as the Italian colors of this era. When she was going up the Thames and noted the bleached world in comparison, I knew exactly what she missed. That golden light, that marvelous contrast of Italia's afternoon. And the book also became a travelogue of all those marvelous cities and places of art innovation, seen through the eyes of the artists and philosophers of that era. Galileo in conflict and yet completely sure! Magnificent.

I seem to be on a path to a line of books in a row that conceive as core examples of women wanting and achieving "non-feminine" roles or aspirations. This is one of the best of those. I can only imagine the courage it took in that court and under that torture. We may at other times have been tortured in less severe methods, but still the barricades of culture and acceptance to learning have existed. In this Artemisia was a champion, far beyond her artistic accomplishments and abilities. ...more

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Jun 17, 2011 Orsolya rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, art, own, favorites

Personally, Artemisia is my favorite female artist. Enduring personal strife and showing the power of a woman, she is definitely a role model. Vreeland's novel provides a power insight into the life of the painter and yet smoothly and dramatically moves the story in an easy-to-read way. Powerful and yet entertaining. A must read!

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May 26, 2011 Laura rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Chrissie

Shelves: art-fiction, library-loan, hf-renaissance, read-2011

This book is based on the true story of Artemisia Gentileschi, a woman ahead of her time since her passion for painting overcame all the turbulences of her private life. Her friendship with Galileo Galilei was remarkable in both ways. She was the first woman to be accepted by the Academia .

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Jun 27, 2016 Katherine rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: adult, historical-fiction, kick-ass-mc, art, italy, renaissance

”The two things I wanted most in life- painting and love- and one had killed any chance at the other. Why was life so perverse that it couldn’t or wouldn’t give me one shred of good without an equal amount of bad?”

Artemisia Gentileschi is seventeen years old and on trial for accusing her father’s friend of rape. Publicly humiliated, shamed and basically abandoned by her father (a famous artist), her life is basically ruined.

”’In time, Artemisia, it won’t matter.’
‘When a woman’s name is all sh

”’In time, Artemisia, it won’t matter.’
‘When a woman’s name is all she has, it matters.’”

Because of this, her father arranges a marriage to another artist in the hopes that his daughter’s reputation will be restored. However, while Artemisia follows his orders, there’s one thing that rules over her life: her desire to paint, and to be the best painter that there is. Over the years she accomplishes those goals, but not without blood, sweat, tears, and the ever-present sexism. And yet she still manages to succeed and is now considered one of the most widely regarded and respected artists of her era. Susan Vreeland’s loose retelling of Artemisia’s life truly shows how great of a woman she was, while at the same time bringing to life the rich world of Renaissance Italy and the powerful themes of art, family, feminism.

Not only was Artemisia the first truly recognizable woman painter her era, she was a badass one at that. At least in the book she was. Her life motto was probably something along the lines of “IDGAF”, and “I do what I want”. She gave absolutely zero fucks about what people thought, or the snide and sniveling remarks her husband and peers made.

”What a novelty, a wife who painted. How curious, How droll. She even thought the academy would want her. Foolish woman.”

She was going to paint, and she was going to do it no matter what.

Unfortunately for her, this attitude doesn’t exactly lend itself to great parenting skills. She cares for a loves her daughter Palmiera deeply, but her work is the most important thing in her life. She even admits as much to her father.

”’I am my father’s daughter.’
‘How’s that?’
‘We have both chosen art over our daughters,’ I said softly.
‘Only time will tell whether it’s been worth the price.’”

She truly had the best intentions for Palmiera, but in the end her desire to be a painter would occasionally trump her desire to give her daughter a better life. The author does a wonderful job of capturing Artemisia’s inner struggles to be a wonderful painter to her outward expectations others have placed on her to be a dutiful wife and mother.

But what Susan Vreeland managed to do so wonderfully was creating a backstory (whether it be real or entirely fictional), that explains the kinds of art that she did. The grudge that she held against her father for what he put her through was the source of her paintings of strong, empowered women, which was a huge bonus point in my book.

I will admit that some of the artistic talk went completely over my head, since I’m not an artist whatsoever. Looking at pretty paintings and stuff is nice, and I could probably name well-known paintings off the top of my head. But ask me one question about artistic terms and I become completely lost. I also didn’t really quite get the intertwining of Artemisia and Galileo, since one didn’t really have anything to do with the other.

This was my first Susan Vreeland book, but it certainly won’t be my last. Her rich characterization and beautiful reimagining of life back in Renaissance Italy captures the imagination, and let the reader glimpse into the life of an extraordinary woman that we probably should all know about, but don’t. Highly recommended! ...more

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Feb 15, 2014 Duane rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction, rated-books, reviewed-books, 21st-century

For you art lovers who also like historical fiction, this one's for you. Susan Vreeland is a very good writer of historical fiction, although I don't always like her subject matter, I did in this one. Along the line of Tracy Chevalier's Girl With a Pearl Earring.

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Mar 27, 2011 Rebecca rated it it was ok

I first read one of Vreeland's books when I was in middle school (Girl in Hyacinth Blue), and I remember enjoying it very much. I bought this book shortly thereafter, and then approximately 15 years went by, and I finally got around to reading it. I would have loved this book in middle or high school, but reading it now, at approximately 27, the writing and characterization were a bit too simplistic.

One thing Vreeland does do well in this book is get inside the mind of the main character, a fema ...more

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Dec 27, 2018 Linda P. rated it it was amazing

I really enjoyed every single page of this book. The author was able to catch my whole attention in a way I was not expecting. I could feel all Artemisia's emotions, I could smell the odours of the street of Florence looking at the Arno, I could hear the noise in Neapel.. I could admire each beautiful paintings of this brave female artist, who was in that century definitely a pioneer, without having seen them before!

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Mar 07, 2017 Marialyce rated it really liked it

This was a wonderful, beautifully told tale of an artist named Artemesia who was portrayed as a woman painter in the seventeenth century. The book delves into the difficulties of being a woman during those times, especially a woman who was raped and one who was an artist. Artemisia had a most tenuous relationship with her father, also an artist, with her husband, a philanderer and an unfaithful man, and her daughter who oftentimes bore the brunt of the lack of her mother's love because her mothe ...more

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Apr 10, 2015 Chris rated it it was amazing

Shelves: hf, italy, artists

I felt like I was back in Italy viewing all the amazing art & architecture primarily in Rome & Florence. Lush descriptions that I was able to sink into while Vreeland unfolded the story of real life 17th C Italian Baroque artist Artemisia Gentileschi, the first female artist to be accepted into the Academy of Art in Florence. Her passion was her painting and in particular, heroines. Loved the vivid and detailed descriptions of her painting technique. It is also a novel of her overcoming ...more

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Aug 16, 2017 Ali Lafferty rated it really liked it

Artemisia Gentileschi was a total badass: she gets sexually assaulted by her dad's artist friend, is then pledged to be married to that artist, then has to testify in court against him and marry someone else for "convenience" because she is now "impure." Through all this, she perseveres in her own art, painting Judith after Judith beheading Holofernes and earning her spot as the first female artist in the Accademia. This was all truth, but only Susan Vreeland could write about Artemisia with suc ...more

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Aug 24, 2018 caravaggion rated it it was amazing

Shelves: historical, history

this was everything i wanted it to be n im not gonna say much about it because its late n im super tired but this book reminded me a lot of my art teacher, who, out of all my highschool teachers is the one i still think about the most, that woman was a total badass, a super strong person who, even though shy by nature, lives her truest life and i will never forget about her

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Jun 02, 2019 Sherri Silvera rated it did not like it

Shelves: dnf

This was a DNF for me. I could not force myself to finish even though I was half way through and it got such good reviews. I found it to be tedious.

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Nov 12, 2008 Darci rated it liked it

Recommends it for: history buffs, art buffs

This book was such an interesting read, especially considering the events are pretty historically accurate, as far as I can tell (which isn't too far, but still...).
Aspects that make me lean toward 5 stars:
- the story line! Such a fascinating story! This makes you turn each page with relish!
- the characters... so many flawed but interesting people!
- the history, although it made me so GLAD I'm not living in the 1600s Italy.
Aspects that back off this review to 4 stars:
- the somewhat choppiness of This book was such an interesting read, especially considering the events are pretty historically accurate, as far as I can tell (which isn't too far, but still...).
Aspects that make me lean toward 5 stars:
- the story line! Such a fascinating story! This makes you turn each page with relish!
- the characters... so many flawed but interesting people!
- the history, although it made me so GLAD I'm not living in the 1600s Italy.
Aspects that back off this review to 4 stars:
- the somewhat choppiness of the characters' relationships with others. There are particular friendships (such as the one with Galileo) that seem relatively inappropriate for the time. (Minor spoiler: they went on a walk alone in the dark at a party to look at stars. Hmm. At a time when women went around veiled, I woudl have thought that to be a bit extraordinary.)
And what finally tipped the scale to 3 stars:
The way that Vreeland writes, this story is CLEARLY coming from a 21st century reality. When Artemesia is denied certain things (a place to live, or membership in certain art circles) due to her gender, she seems flabbergasted. It would be absolutely appropriate in 2008 for a person to feel like that, but in 1610, I wouldn't think gender inequality would stun a person as she was stunned. It just felt a little stilted and a bit, well, created. Keeping in mind that this is a world in which women were so looked down on that a rape was only an issue if the woman had been a virgin, it seems odd that she would have been surprised by the discrimination that she faced.
The other 3-star point I'd make on this one is the representation of Artemesia and her father. (MAJOR SPOILER ALERT HERE, I THINK SO QUIT READING NOW!!!!!!!!!!) I hated how he only brought charges against the rapist because (a) Artemesia would be harder to marry off since she was "deflowered" (I hate that term) and (b) because he wanted a painting back that the rapist (a co-painter with him) had stolen. Artemesia (who as I've stated is rather forwrad-thinking and strong willed in many ways, never directly addresses her anger and disgust at her fathers' breaking her trust and eventually working with her rapist again. I HATED the ending of this book, I felt like it tried to tie up loose ends in the perfect, symmetrical bow. It sort of felt like Vreeland either got tired of writing this one, was behind on a deadline or just quit jotted down an ending because she really wanted out of the story. Completely unsatisfying final 5 pages, but prior to that, a beautiful read, an interesting story, and a fun page-turner.
...more

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Feb 06, 2012 Krystl Louwagie rated it liked it · review of another edition

It's a high 3 stars because it was written well, and I have to love Artemisia, always have. However, the book focuses a lot on things I'm not interested in, such as marriage and kids and cheating husbands and and forgiveness. I guess maybe I'm still too young and an angry person, but...I think forgiveness is over-rated.
It was a nice look into what might've been Artemisia's life, but I don't have any idea why this is supposed to be a YA novel, other than maybe it's not long and isn't super in dep ...more

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Feb 23, 2014 melydia rated it liked it

A fictionalized look at the life of Artemisia Gentileschi, an Italian Baroque painter in the 17th century. I'd never heard of her before this, and I found looking up her paintings enhanced my enjoyment of the book. The story begins during the latter part of the trial of her rapist, and continues through her times in Florence, Genoa, Rome, Naples, and London. It's interesting how the rape trial was all but skipped, seeming to imply that we all know that story already, even though it shaped the co ...more

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May 28, 2015 Dree rated it liked it

Shelves: 2015-reads, continental-europe

I enjoyed this book more than I expected to--I picked it up at a used book sale simply because Vreeland's Girl in Hyacinth Blue is one of my favorite books.

But what Girl has is clearly inimitable. The painting s the main character, the hops through time. It's an unusual little book, and it is wonderful.

Artemesia is more traditional historical fiction. It is certainly readable and interesting, and I had never heard of Artemesia Gentileschi before picking up this book. But historical fiction that ...more

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Apr 05, 2015 Donna rated it liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction

I have a cute little niece with this same name so when I had to pick a book about a painter it was easy to pull this one up. This was historical fiction and my second novel by this author. It was post-renaissance in Italy and a young woman was trying to make it as a painter.

I liked this for the most part. I appreciate the characters that this author creates. They seem to always possess a thread of reasoning. But with that being said, I think that is why I dislike her reprehensible characters be ...more

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Sep 29, 2007 indiefishsteak rated it liked it

Recommends it for: those who need to forgive

When I started reading this book I had high hopes, since it's a book about a female painter in Rome. I was disappointed after the active beginning that most of it came across as either a textbook on art or on Italian history, neither of which I was expecting. However, as the characters developed more and the timeflow became less irregular (or rather I became more accustomed to the irregularity), the real message of forgiveness and how our lives impact others came across. Overall it was worth the ...more

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Oct 30, 2018 Kim rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction

Artemisia Gentileschi was a woman before her time: an incredibly accomplished Baroque artist, influenced by Caravaggio and Michelangelo, the child of Orazio Gentileschi (a talented painter as well), she was the first woman admitted into the Accademia delle Arti del Disegno. She painted in Rome, Florence, Venice, Naples and England for such illustrious patron as the Medici family and the King and Queen of England. She was known for her ability to depict the female form realistically and inject be Artemisia Gentileschi was a woman before her time: an incredibly accomplished Baroque artist, influenced by Caravaggio and Michelangelo, the child of Orazio Gentileschi (a talented painter as well), she was the first woman admitted into the Accademia delle Arti del Disegno. She painted in Rome, Florence, Venice, Naples and England for such illustrious patron as the Medici family and the King and Queen of England. She was known for her ability to depict the female form realistically and inject believable emotions into her art; further, she is possibly best-known for painting Judith slaying Holofernes - there are several versions of this painting, but the most famous is the one in the Uffizi. In fact, when I studied Renaissance & Baroque art history in college, I remember learning about some of the paintings, but I don't think I ever realized that the Gentileschi was female.

So - with this background: This book isn't purely a biography. It is the story of Artemisia's growth as an artist, but also how the rape she experienced as a young woman overshadowed her life and her relationships. This is particularly poignant in light of how we view sexual assault today; and in light of the opportunities readily open to women today that were not so easily accessed in the past.

Vreeland creates beautiful visuals with her words and I found myself looking up each of the painting as Artemisia painted them. I imagine some of the characters are fabrications, and the details of others are lost to the weave of history, but they are fleshed out by Vreeland as full, vibrant people. She has fictionalized the details we could not possibly know and smoothed out Gentileschi's reputation posthumously - rumors of her promiscuity seem to have followed her throughout her life. Whether or not these were true is unclear.

My biggest critique is that the book moves relatively slowly, though I'm not entirely sure how it could have been accelerated. The breadth of people Gentileschi knew and collaborated with is incredible; imagine living in a time when one can know and be inspired by the Baroque artists, scientists, poets, writers we study today. I also found that Gentileschi was almost too much of a feminist for me to believe. Perhaps that was true to her character and I am simply embedded in 21st century prejudices. Or perhaps Vreeland - and her readers - see Gentileschi through a 21st century lens, and ascribe motives given that view. I do not know.

It was a solid 3 stars throughout the book, in spite of the LONG time it took me to read it, but the last quarter of the book sped by for me, and ended on a wonderful note, so I'm finishing with four stars. Bittersweet story, neither happy nor sad, but a measure of both. We cannot fulfill one dream without sacrificing others. ...more

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Jul 08, 2018 Megan added it

Shelves: fiction, historical-fiction, noteworthy-reads-2018

A fiery and compelling fictionalized account of the life of painter Artemisia Gentileschi. I tend to find fictionalized accounts of real-life historical figures tedious, so I was pleasantly surprised by just how readable, thoughtful, and fast-paced this was. I think that was due to a) the immediacy, vulnerability, and clarity of the first-person voice and b) the choices Vreeland made as to where to start, end, and arc her story.

Vreeland begins her story with the day Artemisia is tortured during ...more

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May 17, 2018 Lígia Bellini rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

That was a very interesting and more detailed reading about the famous painter Artemisia Gentileschi. Artemisia was a strong woman whom fought for her place at machist society. She learned since her childhood to paint and she was even better than her father Orazio Gentileschi and his best friend. At young age, Artemisia was raped by her best friend's father, the painter Agostino Tassi. She went to a public trial, was tortured and humiliated, so Artemisia could claim justice to her. She won, not ...more

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Feb 22, 2015 Deirdre rated it liked it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. The Passion of Artemesia is a novel about a women painter who lived during the 1600's in Italy. Artemesia Gentileschi was raised in Rome until her painting teacher raped her and she was a disgrace to the local people. Once her case was dismissed her father married her off to a painter in Florence named Pietro Stiattesi. She struggles to combine her painting career with a marriage of convenience that she hopes will turn into something more. This becomes even harder when her husband begins to get The Passion of Artemesia is a novel about a women painter who lived during the 1600's in Italy. Artemesia Gentileschi was raised in Rome until her painting teacher raped her and she was a disgrace to the local people. Once her case was dismissed her father married her off to a painter in Florence named Pietro Stiattesi. She struggles to combine her painting career with a marriage of convenience that she hopes will turn into something more. This becomes even harder when her husband begins to get envious of her rising fame. Their daughter adds another job and title for Artemesia. She continues to paint and becomes well known for her skill and for being the first women accepted to the esteemed Accademia dell' Arte del Disegno. She meets many people such as Galileo, and the nephew of Michelangelo, and nuns who help her and guide her through her hardships. She follows her career in painting and travels around Italy in hopes of finding a peaceful place to live despite her past. She attempts to make amends with her father who she still does not trust because of the way he handled her rape. She also tries to be there for her daughter as she grows to love a different life then what Artemesia imagined for her. This book is filled with Artemesias inner thoughts through her challenged life that led to the famous painter we know today.

The history aspects in their novel were pretty accurate. Artemesia was a painter during the baroque period and they establish this in the early pages of the book. The author uses art terms correctly and they really add to the realistic aspect of the book. The setting is very well portrayed and you can really imagine where and how she lived. The paintings described as she was working on them are also explained with lots of little details that truly match up with Artemesia Gentileschi's actual work. The author relays the facts of her life very accurately but adds her innermost thoughts on her life which adds a new aspect to her story you can't read from a text book. The book starts with the aftermath of her rape as opposed to her beginnings of an artist. This shows that it doesn't cover her career just the turning point in her life. Not all of the history of Artemesia's life is well documented so one of the only ways to follow her life is the paintings she completed. The author did this very well and really created a full story with accurate characters compared to their historical backgrounds.

Personally I found this book a bit hard to finish. Although I found the art history of the story interesting I felt the writing of the main character was drawn out and slowed down the story. It was interesting to hear Artemesia's thoughts and why she did certain things. However this led to innermost thoughts that were a bit confusing in which i lost focus and interest. I think that a character needs to have conflict to be a well balanced and realistic or relatable character. Conflict was certainly never missing from Artemesia, but I found her hard to connect to. At times she seemed like an inspirational and strong heroine who women could look up to. But at other times I felt that her character was flat and I wasn't cheering for her anymore. Sometimes I felt like she was two different characters, one who wanted to paint the other who wanted everything else. While this does show the dichotomy within herself, it left me feeling unattached and frustrated. The story seemed drawn out in some parts and rushed in others. She would talk about what was happening on a daily basis and then all of a sudden 3 years have passed. I don't think that the timeline was well spelled out either. I looked up one of her paintings and discovered that it took 2 years to paint. When I reread the passage I realized how the author alluded to this but I had to look for it to get the time change. It was well written in a technical sense but some of her character development left me wanting more from the main character. I never fell head first into the book, I was hoping that there would be a much needed turning point for me in which I started to get into it.

I would recommend this book for people who enjoy art history. The way the author describes Artemesia's paintings is fantastic. You can really picture what she is working on. This adds a layer of understanding to the paintings she created you won't find elsewhere. She also describes the historical location accurately and makes it very interesting and informative to read. If you like dramatic, conflicting, or interpersonal books this could also be for you. I think it's a good book for all women to read due to the history behind her accomplishments during this time when that was rare. This book was written very well and uses great imagery and really makes her work come alive. While I didn't connect with her character, I still got a greater appreciation for what Artemesia accomplished during the baroque period. The character can really teach you about the society during that time period. ...more

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May 08, 2017 Cyndi rated it really liked it

Shelves: audio

I loved Artemesia's strength, tenacity and perseverance and the depiction of a female artist and all her struggles to survive and thrive as an artist during this very stressful and tumultuous time period. I also enjoyed the fictional relationship she shared with Galileo and the author's interpretation of him and his astronomical insights, as well as how they were perceived by others during this era.

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Sep 15, 2017 Jill Pfuetze Schmidt rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Successful mash-up of late Renaissance Florence, Rome, Genoa with contemporary language. Quite interesting. Thought-provoking.

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About Susan Vreeland

Susan Vreeland

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Susan Vreeland is an internationally renowned best-selling author and four-time winner of the Theodor Geisel Award for Fiction, the San Diego Book Award’s highest honor. She is known for writing historical fiction on art-related themes, including Girl in Hyacinth Blue, The Passion of Artemisia, Luncheon of the Boating Party, and Clara and Mr. Tiffany. Her books have been translated into 26 languag ...more

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“I remember being disappointed when Papa had shown me Caravaggio's Judith. She was completely passive while she was sawing through a man's neck. Caravaggio gave all the feeling to the man. Apparently, he couldn't imagine a woman to have a single thought. I wanted to paint her thoughts, if such a thing were possible -- determination and concentration and belief in the absolute necessity of the act. The fate of her people resting on her shoulders...” — 6 likes

“What could she possibly have done that was so heinous as to earn her a lifetime of self-mortification? No one short of a tyrant deserved such unremitting agony. I cried there with her, for her, for Eve, for sorrows past, for sorrows yet to come. I put my pencil away. It was wrong to draw live pain. If there had been an artist at Bethany, it would have been wrong to intrude his chalk or charcoal on Mary Magdalene’s weeping as she washed Jesus’ feet. Some things were too raw for art until time dulled their sharpness.” — 5 likes

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