Artemisia and Lucretia: How They Met
Date
2017-10-12
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Abstract
How can Artemisia Gentileschi, a 17th-century Italian artist who was barely literate, know the Latin myth of Lucretia without knowing Latin? Artemisia was able to learn about Lucretia through oral and visual learning at first, and through a more canonic education received in Florence later. The myth of Lucretia is also extremely dear to the artist. As Lucretia, Artemisia as well was raped. The trial for her rape ended in 1612. Artemisia when producing Lucretia not only gathered information about the myth and its representation in visual arts, but also told her own story as a rape survivor.