The artist who triumphed over her shocking rape and torture

The works shall speak for themselves." So wrote Artemisia Gentileschi in 1649, in a letter to a patron acknowledging her rare position in the art world at that time: a painter, and a woman. Although all too aware that she had a harder job being taken seriously, she had faith in her talent, her work. 

Gentileschi's work is known for its strong women, and its vibrant, even shocking depictions of violence. Her story is one of talent, but also resilience, ambition and fierce determination. 

For Gentileschi had to overcome personal trauma and public humiliation before she could attain the status as one of the most significant Italian artists of the age. Raped at 17 by her painting tutor, she endured a scandalous seven-month trial in which she was tortured to ‘prove’ she was telling the truth. Yet she went on to became internationally successful, at a time when painting at all was incredibly rare by a woman. 

The National Gallery in London recently acquired one of her oil paintings, Self-Portrait as Saint Catherine of Alexandria (1615-17). It is undergoing conservation before going on display in early 2019, and is a major acquisition for the gallery – and one explicitly intended to address the gender imbalance of the collection. Currently, staggeringly, only 20 works owned by the gallery are by women, out of 2,300 in total. 

The acquisition of this great painting by Artemisia Gentileschi realises a long-held dream of increasing the National Gallery's collection of paintings by important women artists," commented Hannah Rothschild CBE, chair of the National Gallery, when announcing that they’d spent £3.6m ($4.6m) on the work. “Gentileschi was a pioneer, a master storyteller, and one of the most progressive and expressive painters of the period. One of a handful of women who was able to shatter the confines of her time, she overcame extreme personal difficulties to succeed in the art of painting.”

But before we catch a glimpse of Gentileschi as she saw herself, she has been appearing on stage. At the Edinburgh Festival this year, and soon in London, a new show also speaks for Gentileschi – quite literally. 

Experimental theatre company Breach heard that there was a partial transcript of her rape trial; having worked extensively in verbatim and documentary performance, the leaders of the theatre company were immediately drawn to it. 

“We saw it as a theatrical invitation, but also not all of the transcript remained, so you’d have do something part-documentary, part re-voicing, having to fill in the gaps – which is always exciting," explains their co-founder and director Billy Barrett. 

It’s true, it’s true, it’s true

What is known of Gentileschi's life story is astonishing enough, however. Her father, Orazio Gentileschi, was also an acclaimed painter, whose work was influenced by his drinking buddy Caravaggio, attaining new heights of realism and dynamism in the use of live models. 

Gentileschi’s mother, Prudentia, died in childbirth when her daughter was only 12. She soon demonstrated artistic talent, and Orazio passed on all he knew. The two would even collaborate on works. 

Then in 1611 one of his friends, the painter Agostino Tassi, raped Gentileschi. The trial transcripts go into how she tried to push him away and even tried to stab him with a knife. 

Afterwards, however, the pair entered into a year-long affair. The case only reached court because Tassi refused to marry her, despite long promising to do so. At the time, rape wasn't a recognisable offence; the issue was that, in 'deflowering' her, Tassi had dishonoured the family and made her unmarriable. The case was brought by Orazio – who would have been quite happy if his pal had only put a ring on it. 

But the only rings Gentileschi got to wear were those of a sibille: a torture device/lie detector made of metal and rope, that tightened round her digits. “This is the ring that you give me, and these are your promises," she said to Tassi as the cords tightened, before repeating "It's true, it's true, it's true," in defence of her account. She was believed, Tassi deemed guilty – but, being a favoured painter of the Pope, never actually ended up serving a sentence. 

Her repeated declaration of honesty is, of course, where Breach got the title of their play. It’s True It’s True It’s True is a courtroom drama of sorts, devised around a translation of the transcript by a company of three actors.