Tuesday, March 4, 2008

The Passion of Artemisia

The Passion of Artemisia by Susan Vreeland tells the story of Renaissance painter Artemisia Gentileschi, a talented woman whose life has been full of disappointments and difficulties. Her early life consists of humiliation and betrayal. Her father eventually arranges her marriage to other painter. Artemisia thinks that she will finally be able to put her past behind her and start fresh, but her husband soon becomes jealous of Artemisia’s talent and is unforgiving of the fact that Artemisia was the first woman to be elected to the esteemed Academia dell’ Arte in Florence, before he becomes a member.

This novel abounds with detail of the Renaissance in Florence and contains beautiful descriptions of painting. It is a moving portrait of a woman who makes sacrifices but never looses sight of what she wants for her career, her daughter, and her dreams.

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