When #MeToo meets Baroque painting

Artemisia Gentileschi survived violence at the hands of men to become a star of the 17th-century art world. Four hundred years on, her paintings resonate more than ever

By Tim Smith-Laing

In 1612 a court in Rome heard the testimony of Artemisia Gentileschi, a 19-year-old, in a case against a well-connected artist called Agostino Tassi. Tassi was her art tutor and her probable future husband. He was supposed to teach her about the Roman art world. Instead, he raped her. Though the court decided he was guilty, his influential patrons saw to it that he never suffered any consequences.

More from 1843 magazine

1843 magazine | Will there ever be a Google Translate for pets?

The tech world is on the case – but there’s no guarantee that our animals will have anything interesting to say

1843 magazine | The year in pictures 2024

Images that defined the year



1843 magazine | The earthling’s guide to building a Moon base

One-armed robots are being trained in lunar construction

1843 magazine | Inside the AI back-channel between China and the West

Computer scientists are reaching out across the geopolitical divide to try to stop an apocalypse

1843 magazine | A journey through the world’s newest narco-state

Drugs transformed Ecuador from a Latin American success story into a war zone