Artemisia Gentileschi: The woman behind the paintings - Allison Leigh

Translator: Vivianna Cheong Reviewer: Thomas Tam

A woman enters an enemy army camp.

一個女人行入敵人軍營

When the watchmen stop her,

當守衛想要阻止佢嗰陣

she says she’s willing to tell her people’s secrets to the ranking general.

佢話要將佢國民嘅秘密 話畀將軍聽

But she isn’t actually a traitor.

事實上，佢唔係叛徒

On her fourth day under the general’s protection,

喺將軍保護之下嘅第四日

she waits for him to get drunk and beheads him,

女人趁將軍飲醉酒 將佢個頭斬落來

saving her people from his tyranny.

幫佢嘅國民 擺脫將軍嘅暴政

This is the biblical story of how the heroine Judith

呢個就係聖經裏邊 《Judith 傳》嘅故事

slays the brutal Holofernes.

Judith 將殘暴嘅 Holofernes 斬殺

It features in countless works of art, including the Sistine Chapel.

個故仔係好多藝術品嘅題材 包括西斯汀禮拜堂嘅壁畫

But the most iconic depiction of all was painted by an artist

但當中最具代表性嘅作品

who tackled this ambitious scene when she was just 19 years old.

出自一位年僅 19 歲嘅 女畫家

Her name was Artemisia Gentileschi,

佢就係 Artemisia Gentileschi

though many scholars refer to her simply as Artemisia, like other Italian masters.

但係好多學者將佢簡稱為 Artemisia 好似其他意大利嘅大師噉

So who was Artemisia, and what sets her depiction apart from the rest?

Artemisia 係何許人也? 佢嘅作品點解與衆不同?

Artemisia received her artistic training from her father Orazio Gentileschi.

Artemisia 跟隨父親 Orazio Gentileschi 學習繪畫

He tutored her in the dramatic new style of painting pioneered

父親帶佢學習極具戲劇性嘅

by the artist Caravaggio.

由大師 Caravaggio 創立嘅新畫風

This style, called the Baroque, built upon earlier Renaissance traditions.

呢個叫巴洛克嘅風格基於 文藝復興早期嘅傳統畫風

While Renaissance artists had focused on imitating the classical Greeks,

文藝復興嘅藝術家 側重模仿古希臘風格

depicting moments of calmness or poise amidst intensity,

如何喺激烈中 表現冷靜同優雅

Baroque artists emphasized the climactic moment of a story with dynamic action.

巴洛克藝術家用動態 強調故事嘅高潮

Baroque works also dial up the drama through composition

仲透過構圖同明暗對照法 （暗色調主義）

and extreme contrasts of light and dark, called chiaroscuro or tenebrism.

突顯畫面嘅戲劇性同張力

Taken together, the effect is a more direct emotional appeal to viewers.

從而達到更加觸動觀眾情感嘅效果

Though Artemisia drew from Caravaggio’s style,

雖然 好多人認爲 Artemisia 效法

by many accounts,

Caravaggio 嘅畫風

her rendering outmatched the older master’s depiction of the same story.

但係佢對Judith 嘅故事嘅描繪 比 Caravaggio 更勝一籌

Like Artemisia, Caravaggio focused on the moment of the beheading,

Caravaggio、Artemisia 同樣專注斬首嗰刻

dramatically contrasting light and dark and emphasizing the gore.

並利用強烈嘅明暗對比 凸顯場景嘅血腥

But his painting lacks the visceral impact of Artemisia’s.

但 Caravaggio 缺乏 Artemisia 呈現嘅動人心魄嘅震撼力

Where Caravaggio’s heroine keeps her distance from the bloody act,

Caravaggio 畫筆下嘅女主角 與血腥行為保持距離

Artemisia’s Judith pushed up her sleeves and wedged her knee on the bed

但 Artemisia 嘅 Judith 卻捋起衫袖跪喺床上

to counter Holofernes’ resistance.

使 Holofernes 動彈不得

Her body has a heft that makes the action believable,

佢嘅體量 使成個斬殺動作更可信

and the viscous streams of blood soaking the sheets are highly naturalistic.

黐𣲷𣲷嘅血滲透咗床單 十分逼真

The blood spraying from the severed artery in Caravaggio’s

相比之下 Caravaggio 筆下

looks stilted and artificial by comparison.

從切斷嘅動脈噴出嘅鮮血 就顯得僵硬同做作

And yet this isn't even her most celebrated painting of the scene.

但呢幅油畫並唔係 Artemisia 最得意嘅作品

She finished this painting in 1613,

佢喺 1613 年完成呢幅作品

shortly after marrying and moving to Florence,

佢嗰時已結婚 搬咗去佛羅倫斯居住

where she found professional success

佢嘅繪畫事業獲得成功

following a very difficult period in her life.

喺之前佢經歷咗 一段痛苦嘅日子

In 1611, a colleague of her father’s, Agostino Tassi,

1611 年，佢被父親嘅同事 Agostino Tassi 嘅強姦

nicknamed “lo Smargiasso,” or “the bully,” raped her.

呢個人嘅花名係「霸凌者」

When Artemisia told her father,

當佢講畀父親聽佢俾強姦

he filed charges for the crime of “forcible violation of a virgin”—

父親 Orazio 控告 Tassi 「強行侵犯處女」罪——

a designation that meant Tassi had damaged Orazio’s property.

表示佢破壞咗自己嘅財產

Rape laws centered almost entirely on young women's bodies

當時嘅強暴法視年輕婦女嘅身體

as commodities owned by their fathers.

爲哋父親嘅擁有物品

Tassi’s trial lasted for seven months,

Tassi 嘅強暴案審咗七個月

during which Artemisia was subjected to interrogation

期間，Artemisia 須接受審問

and torture with thumbscrews as she testified against him.

她作證時要受指旋螺絲酷刑折磨

Tassi was ultimately found guilty,

最後，Tassi 被判有罪

but his powerful patrons managed to have his sentence revoked.

但佢勢力強大嘅贊助人 設法撤銷咗佢嘅判決

Some scholars have suggested that Artemisia started the painting

有喲學者推斷 Artemisia 喺官司期間

while the trial was still underway.

開始創作呢幅作品

Many have debated whether the rape influenced her work.

好多學者都爭論 佢俾施暴有否影響佢嘅創作

Artemisia revisited the subject of Judith repeatedly.

Artemisia 反覆畫 Judith

One painting shows Judith and her maidservant

佢嘅一幅作品 描繪 Judith 同婢女

trying to leave the enemy encampment.

試圖逃離敵人營地嘅一幕

Here, Artemisia added a tiny ornament in Judith’s hair,

Artemisia 喺 Judith 嘅髮上 添加了一個小飾物

possibly referencing David, the protector of Florence,

有可能係暗示佛羅倫斯 守護嘅人 David

with a nod to Michelangelo.

亦向 Michelangelo 致敬

On the sword’s hilt there’s a screaming Gorgon or Medusa—

劍柄上刻有蛇髮女妖 Gorgon 或 Medusa 尖叫嘅臉容

both female archetypes evoking rage and power

兩個喚起憤怒同力量 嘅女性原型

which link the work to Caravaggio.

同 Caravaggio 嘅作品 亦有關連

Artemisia painted her most famous portrayal of Judith between 1618 and 1620.

喺 1618 至 1620 年間 Artemisia 畫咗佢最聞名嘅 Judith

The composition is similar to that of her first painting from 1613,

呢部作品嘅構圖 與佢 1613 年嘅作品相似

but has meaningful details for those who look closely.

仔細啲睇 就搵到當中意味深長嘅細節

The sword more directly resembles a crucifix,

劍嘅外形更似係個十字架

heightening the sense that Judith's vengeance was a holy act ordained by God.

強調 Judith 喺復仇 係上帝安排嘅聖潔舉動

Artemisia also added a bracelet featuring the goddess of the hunt—

Artemisia 亦添加咗一隻 有狩獵女神 Artemis 形象嘅手鈪

her namesake, Artemis.

女神同 Artemisia 同名

This signature is one of the many ways her art holds true to a sentiment

呢個簽名喺佢晚年 用佢嘅藝術表達嘅方式之一

that she expressed near the end of her life:

強調佢嘅理念：

“The works will speak for themselves.”

「作品會為自己說話。」