Shannon Myers

An Examination of Artemisia Gentileschis Susanna and the Elders

Art History 1.2
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This painting was done by Artemisia Gentileschi who was a female Italian artist and
followed the work of Caravaggio. Artemisia wanted to be a history painter, one who paints
stories from the past or the Bible. So, Artemisia painted this piece in 1610 while she was still
living in Rome. It was titled, Susanna and the Elders and the medium that she used was oil paint
on canvas and the painting itself is 67 X 47 . This painting is a history painting, based on a
story from the Protestant Bible in the Book of Daniel. The subjects of the painting are Susanna a
bathing Susanna and the two elders. The story tells of Susanna, a beautiful, young, married
woman who went to the garden one day to bathe. She had told her maids to leave her so she
could bathe in privacy and, once the maids were gone, the Elders slipped in through the garden
door. These Elders had been lusting after Susanna for a long time, and they tried to convince
Susanna to sleep and them. But Susanna being a righteous woman refused. The Elders then went
to Susanna's husband and told him, that Susanna had been seen in the garden with another man.
Artemisia impressively painted this part of the story and expresses the emotions by following a
Caravaggesque style and used a technique he invented called tenebrism.
Susanna and the Elders is a two-dimensional piece that primarily focuses on the subject
of the composition. The figures of the piece form a semi-triangle and fills the entirety of canvas.
A lot of the attention is directed at the two looming figures that are leaning over the wall talking
to the girl. The figures are very idealized and detailed which makes the piece very aesthetically
pleasing to the eye. The lighting in this painting seems to originate from a singular place to the
right of the piece. Artemisia followed Caravaggio's method of tenebrism, which adds drama to
the piece. It also makes the piece seem more real than some of the other artists of this time. The
more towards the left side of the piece in the cast shadows follow where the light is coming
from. While Artemisia uses very few colors in this piece, the most dominant color used in this

piece is brown, it is used both towards the top portion of the painting and throughout the bottom
as well. However, the red cloak of one of the Elders and the white on Susanna's leg are also
prominent. These two colors stand out because they are not used anywhere else in the painting.
The other color that is fairly prominent in this painting is the blue of one of the Elders tunics and
the sky. The fact that Artemisia used so few colors means that she restricted her palate. But,
through these colors she creates an emotion which makes the piece very powerful. The textures
that she conveys in painting were also quite incredible. She is able to make the wall behind
Susanna look as if you could touch it, and I can almost feel the texture of the leaves that were
carved into it. Also, the texture of the fabric seems very believable, as if you could touch them,
and they would feel soft and silky. The way she is able to depict Susannas hair takes great skill
as well. The way the space is used makes the figures of this piece seem large on the canvas
because the figures take up most of the space. The way the space is used fills the composition
nicely. Finally, the use of line is well executed. The lines of Susanna's legs as well as her torso
adds the same emotion to the piece that the colors did. The lines of the other figures forms the
side of a triangle which was very common for this period.
The figures in this piece all convey an emotion that can be felt. The way the others are
positioned looming over Susanna lends a very sinister and ominous feeling, especially when the
figure on the right is almost whispering, telling Susanna to be quiet. The way Susannas body is
positioned suggests that she is quite distressed. From the way she is turning away and shielding
herself with her hands shows that she is very distraught. Artemisia was able to express her
emotions because of her own experience with this subject matter and personal experience. Most
painters were unable to express this distressed emotion through their paintings, but Artemisia
was able to which is what makes this piece so spectacular. When you study this piece it is almost

as if you can feel the emotions yourself. This is a very rare skill, but all of Artemisias paintings
express a certain emotions are Susanna and the Elders truly accentuates the emotions that are
presented in it.
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