Susannah and Elders (after A. Gentileschi) (framed)

Artemisia’s paintings are masterpieces of the dramatic. Susannah was falsely accused of immorality and then blackmailed by these two religious authorities when she was merely bathing in a river. In the original painting a wall divides the space between the figures, supporting the two men. By eliminating this dividing wall, two fully clothed men balanced atop the nude figure of Susannah. That she is rendered  in delicate pastel colors while those above weigh down on her straining body, underscores the injustice of the pressure she must endure.