Image Details

Marburg/Art Resource, New York, N.Y.

A rape victim herself, Artemisia Gentileschi (1593–1652), the artist of this Susanna (shown here, compare with photo of painting by Joseph-Marie Vien), empathetically represented her subject. Long attributed to Artemisia’s father Orazio, the austere painting depicts an anguished, resisting Susanna, in sharp contrast with her erotic portrayal by painters such as Joseph-Marie Vien (1716–1809).