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The Passion of Artemisia
The Passion of Artemisia
Author: Susan Vreeland
Recently rediscovered by art historians, and one of the few female post-Renaissance painters to achieve fame during her own era, Artemisia Gentileschi led a remarkably "modern" life. Susan Vreeland tells Artemisia's captivating story, beginning with her public humiliation in a rape trial at the age of eighteen, and continuing through her father'...  more »
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ISBN-13: 9780142001820
ISBN-10: 0142001821
Publication Date: 12/31/2002
Pages: 352
Rating:
  • Currently 4/5 Stars.
 152

4 stars, based on 152 ratings
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Book Type: Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover, Audio CD
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

MarciNYC avatar reviewed The Passion of Artemisia on
Helpful Score: 3
Vreeland's fictionalised tale of painter Artemisia Gentileschi is a must-read. I could hardly put this down once I began reading. She melds fiction and history into a wonderfully engaging tale.
readermuse avatar reviewed The Passion of Artemisia on + 96 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
I really enjoyed this book and have recommended it to several people. Artemisia is a real painter in renaissance Italy but the story is fictional. Susan Vreeland really combines the real aspects of Artemisia's life with the fiction beautifully. This book had me researching Artemisia to see her paintings. You can find them on-line by doing a simple search. It is interesting to see the paintings that has been described in the book.
CozyLover avatar reviewed The Passion of Artemisia on + 335 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
A thought-provoking portrait of Renaissance painter Artemisia Gentileschi. Artemisia is a woman who was brutalized by her father's contemporary, persecuted by the court system, married off to a man she didn't know to save her father's reputation and all the while she still managed to express an amazing amount of painterly talent while bucking the traditonal "man's domain" of art. Very well written with rich, period details and a great deal of emotion. A tale that is not easily forgotten.
mwelday avatar reviewed The Passion of Artemisia on + 148 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
I thought this was superbly written. Vreeland's writing style is so beautiful and vivid. I thought there was wonderful character development...the reader goes through life with Artemisia and discovers life truths along with her. I think this is the best novel by Vreeland. An excellent read, I highly recommend it.
sarahbeth8585 avatar reviewed The Passion of Artemisia on + 15 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
This is a great book. It has to do with a woman painter in old-time Italy. She went through a lot in this book. She was raped as a teenager and brought her rapist to trial, where the rapist said she was a whore. After the trial she gets married off by her father to a poor painter with a wandering eye... it was really good.
Read All 31 Book Reviews of "The Passion of Artemisia"

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joystar55 avatar reviewed The Passion of Artemisia on + 3 more book reviews
I enjoyed this book because of how thoroughly it detailed the challenges of a woman who was more talented then her male peers in an era when women were considered so inferior. Artemisia remained true to her gift no matter the pain.
A inspiration to women today to honor their own gifts.
reviewed The Passion of Artemisia on + 531 more book reviews
A great read! I read this book in three evenings. Vreeland's writing will draw you in. A person doesn't have to be an artist to enjoy this book. Artemesia Gentileschi's struggle to find love, forgiveness & wholeness through painting is displayed vividly & with detail. Artemesia persevered to overcome her past from sexual abuse in her young womanhood. he endured public mockery, and a court trial. She learned to paint passionately what others couldn't see/and hadn't painted before. She became an accomplished paintenr during the post-Renaissance Italy. I enjoyed reading this book. Vreeland's writing is excellent..
reviewed The Passion of Artemisia on + 8 more book reviews
A beautiful story, takes place in Italy during the time of the Medici. I loved this book!
lucyhoneychurch avatar reviewed The Passion of Artemisia on + 12 more book reviews
The first 2/3rds of the book are enthralling and historically exciting descriptions of the Florentine and Genoan art worlds and Artemesia's process in creating works. However, for some reason, in the latter 1/3rd of the book the author abandons this focus and instead turns Artemesia into a sanctimonious celebate, dragging her whiny daughter to more fantastic European art centers, but with nary a description of them or the art she creates there! This mostly ruined the book for me and the predictable, formulaic ending finished it off. There are a lot of exciting elements, but I'd just stop after Artemesia leaves Genoa.
reviewed The Passion of Artemisia on + 44 more book reviews
I honestly was completely unaware of the existence of this female painter until I read this book. It is an amazing story of a woman that battled the stereotypes of what or who a painter was during the Renaissance. This book actually prompted me to do a search online and it is amazing the amount of paintings by Artemisia that are in museums and private collections. How could so little be known about the life and talent of someone so brilliant..
reviewed The Passion of Artemisia on
I majored in art history in college and taught art for 21 years. I love stories about artists. I first read Susan Vreeland when I found her new book on Tiffany and his female artists at our local library. I liked that book very much so I proceeded to read all the other books she had written about artists and also enjoyed them all very much. I placed orders for three on PBS and am happy to have them in my home library.


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