Artemisia Gentileschi’s “Allegory of Inclination,” and Autonomy: Exploring her Florentine Period

[Artemisia Gentileschi] sought to embody herself in her work, and we can understand her depiction of “inclination,” in an artist as a depiction of herself— a kind of reclamation of her skill, similar to the act of reclamation seen in her biography, wherein she asserts that the origin of her artistic predilection is feminine and therefore separate from her father.

Image: Artemisia Gentileschi, “Allegory of Inclination.” 1615-16. Oil on canvas.