Penitent Mary Magdalene by Artemisia Gentileschi
Many years ago, I had the pleasure of studying art history with professor Annie Shaver-Crandell at The City College of New York. She introduced me to Medieval Art and Barroque Art, and through the way she taught these periods of art history, I have always continued to love the art of those times. One of the artists she introduced to us was Artemisia Gentileschi, an Italian barroque artist who, as a woman, was both exceptional as a person and as an artist.
Artemisia Gentileschi was the daughter of a painter, Orazion Gentileschi, and is considered one of the most important Italian painters of her time. Her father was friends with Caravaggio, and had adopted the dramatic and revolutionary style of the painter. Artemisia learned how to paint in her father’s workshop and went on to create paintings for important figures of her time such as the Medici and the Spanish royalty.
Many of her paintings depict stories of the Bible featuring strong women in dramatic moments, such as her most famous painting, Judith and Holofernes. Penitent Mary Magdalene is different.
Penitent Mary Magdalene emphasizes a more introspective moment for a Biblical character. Mary Magdalene’s pose shares her deep exhaustion at living a life of misalignment with her soul. In this scene, she is the woman who, close to renouncing her riches in order to enter a life full of the Holy Spirit, feels in her body the weight of the world in which she lives.
Her exquisite skin, fine dress, expensive jewelry and ornate home will be a memory soon, but at this moment, the painter shows her ability to paint both the exterior and the interior of the subject. The long, wavy red hair and subtle perfume jar in the background tell us who she is.
This painting was acquired by the Kimbell Art Museum in Texas after being in private collections since its creation, with only copies to show its existence and beauty. It has been on view in the Kimbell Museum since September 2024. To learn more about Penitent Mary Magdalene and about the painter Artemisia Gentileschi, visit: Recently Discovered Painting by Artemisia Gentileschi Acquired by the Kimbell.
Today’s drawing of Mary Magdalene
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