Artemisia (1997) - film review

A young woman, Artemisia Gentileschi, is expelled from a convent for making obscene drawings.  Her father, Orazio, takes charge of her and trains her as an artist. Artemisia is soon frustrated by the limitations of what society deems it is acceptable for a woman to paint and develops an obsession for the male anatomy.  She becomes a pupil of the artist, Agostino Tassi, who shares with her his intense passion for out-door painting.  Their relationship drifts into romance… and then Tassi rapes Artemesia.

This is a historically accurate account of the early life of Artemisia Gentileschi (1593-1653), renowned as the first important female artist in western art.   The style of this artist is evoked in the stunning photography which shifts from the supremely melancholic to the effulgently optimistic, in perfect alignment with the changes in mood of the film and its characters.

Despite the masterful camera work and very commendable acting, the film is let down by some dreadful moments of sentimentality and self-importance.    The rape scene – the film’s linchpin and raison d’être – fails to evoke any kind of response and is poorly executed, whilst Artemesia’s subsequent reaction to the apparently life-changing event appears shallow and unconvincing.  Indeed, the power of this part of this film is effectively neutered by the ambiguity in Artemisia’s relationship with her teacher, being neither naïve girlish fancy or full-blown love.  From that point on, the film has no momentum, little conviction, and rolls on towards its conclusion without any sense of purpose.   Doubly disappointing when the film starts so well, and pretends to offer so much.

© James Travers 1999

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