As part of ORF’s focus on International Women’s Day
Vienna (OTS) – It is probably the best-known “MeToo” crime in the baroque art world. The victim is the 18-year-old painter Artemisia Gentileschi. The perpetrator: Agostino Tasso, a well-known artist colleague of Artemisia’s father. The father reports him, Artemisia goes through the trial despite degrading treatment and testifying under torture – and she wins. “Forcibly deflowered and recognized carnally several times,” is what Roman court officials recorded in March 1612.
The film “Me Too in the Baroque – The Artemisia Case” by Sabine Bier and Anne Wigger – as part of the ORF focus on International Women’s Day on Friday, March 8, 2024, at 10:35 p.m. on ORF 2 as a German-language first broadcast in “Universum History” to see – shows the mechanisms of male violence and portrays a remarkable artist who was only brought back from oblivion by feminist art historiography in the 20th century.
The two-parter “Alice” about the journalist and well-known feminist Alice Schwarzer follows at 11:50 p.m. – the life path of the founder of the women’s magazine EMMA was by no means predetermined, as the ARD/ORF production with Nina Gummich in the leading role shows.
In 1611, the young painter Artemisia Gentileschi was raped by her father’s friend Agostino Tassi, who was 15 years her senior. Tassi is known and famous as the “Painter of the Popes”. Ten months later, the father brought a lawsuit against his daughter before the Inquisition Court in Rome for “stupro,” or “forcible defloration.” Sexual violence as a crime did not exist at that time. “Stupro” is not a violent crime against the woman, but rather economic damage to the father. If she is not a virgin, he can hardly marry off his daughter. Either she’ll be on his back forever or he’ll increase her dowry. In the case of Artemisia Gentileschi, the father expects the damage to be significantly greater. His daughter is an incredibly talented painter. An exceptional talent with the prospect of a lucrative career.
There is an extensive file about the trial in the archives in Rome. Rape could not be proven forensically at the time. Since Tassi denies the crime, Artemisia not only has to repeat her accusations under torture, but also has to undergo a humiliating gynecological examination by a midwife. At the time, torture was seen as the only way for affected women to prove that they were telling the truth. Tassi is ultimately sentenced to five years of exile from Rome; In fact, important men from the Pope’s circle are campaigning for him to stay, while Artemisia, who bears the stigma of rape, has to leave Rome.
However, she does not emerge from the act broken, but rather confidently develops into one of the most important baroque painters. Supported by the Medici, she painted works of art such as “Susanna in the Bath”. Her masterpiece “Judith Beheads Holofernes” was created in 1612/13, which is interpreted as the artist’s reckoning with the traumatic event and as revenge against the men. She often depicts the heroines of history as women of unusual charisma, in compositions full of drama. Many of her female characters – especially when she portrayed herself – appear courageous, determined and energetic. Artemisia dies in Naples in 1654.
Afterwards she is forgotten. It is thanks to feminist art historiography in the 20th century that it was brought back from oblivion.
An exciting, emancipatory film about a strong woman and important painter of the Baroque period. The largely unknown case about the rape of Artemisia, which was produced by Doc.station in collaboration with ZDF and ARTE (ORF editing:
Judith Brandner) based on the court documents shows clear parallels with male violence against women today. At the same time, the film, which features vivid images of works of art and interesting experts, is also a portrait of a remarkable artist.
The film language is unusual: the story is told in reenactments from Artemisia’s perspective.