Disobedient: The gripping feminist retelling of a seventeenth century heroine forging her own destiny

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Toen ik hoorde dat mijn favoriete auteur, Fremantle die gekend is voor haar Tudor en Stuartboeken, een fictieboek over haar zou uitbrengen was ik natuurlijk ontzettend blij. There was a rough and ready vibe to the main character and this transcended into her art in a more amplified manner. Artemisia seeks to paint the truth in its more sincere form, whether that truth is amenable to society is a different matter. As the author unravels the story of her early life and the trauma that occurs to her, I could see that her paintings evolve and could be described as violent, unflinching demonstrations of male debasement.

Dit is niet het verhaal van een vrouwelijke schilder die het glazen plafond probeert te doorbreken met haar werk. Dit is het verhaal van een jong meisje dat onrecht wordt aangedaan en die daar erkenning voor probeert te krijgen en er vooral uit wil ontsnappen. Een vrouw die haar eigen keuzes wil kunnen maken - en dat verhaal is van alle tijden.This is a thoroughly engaging work of historical fiction that successfully evokes the life of its remarkable female protagonist in early seventeenth century Rome. Artemisia lived in an uncompromising patriarchal world that denied women any opportunity beyond motherhood and the domestic sphere, and treated them all as the property of fathers and husbands. Women’s motives and appetites were always suspect, and a woman who complained had to undergo physical torture to prove herself in court. I did not think I was interested in art history until I read this book. And now I’m craving a museum or gallery. The lush depictions of baroque art were incredibly vivid and provocative. The facts of her story could be read in some kind of biographical account of her life. But you wouldn’t get the same frisson or the same sense that you are there with her. With this story, you can almost smell the paint, feel the injustice. This book brings Artemisia Gentileschi to life.

What have you created?’ She is strangely calm. ‘A monster? Is that what you were going to say? No, Father, all you have created is a woman with a mind of her own. Perhaps that seems monstrous to you.’” As Artemisia patiently goes from lesson to lesson, perfecting her craft, a mysterious tutor enters her life. Tassi is a dashing figure, handsome and worldly, and for a moment he represents everything that a life of freedom might offer. But then the unthinkable happens. A violent act that threatens Artemisia's honour, and her virtue. Elizabeth Fremantle has created an incredible character in Artemisia. Finally, a female protagonist who is not reduced to sitting in a corner as silent tears of rage drip down her cheeks, no more internal dialogue berating herself over expressing anger. Artemisia is furious; she is vocal about it and rightly so. It was refreshing to see how Fremantle handled this portrayal of female rage. Ultimately Artemisia is constrained by the era she is born into but, she is not willing to sit noiselessly with the injustice of it. Artemisia made several paintings of the same subject. Recently Judith and her Maidservant was displayed at the Nelson Atkins Museum Of Art, and I was impressed by its large size, 72.44 in × 55.75 in.

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Perfecting her craft takes time, and one day a mysterious and handsome painting tutor decides to help her hone her skills. Tassi is dashing, charming, and hugely gifted in his field, and for a fleeting moment he represents everything that a life of freedom offers. Some readers may be familiar with the talented 17th century Artemisia Gentileschi (1593-1656), the Italian baroque artist whose paintings include Susanna and the Elders, Judith Slaying Holofernes, and Judith and Her Maidservant, there has been a resurgence of interest in her in more recent times. Elizabeth Fremantle blends fact and fiction in this well researched novel, to depict an earlier part of her life, growing up in Rome, she had lost her mother and is raised by her Caravaggio influenced artist father, Orazio. She is shaped by the norms and expectations of women, the limitations and to be ruled by men, Artemesia underwent the drama of what is a well known period of horror and trauma in her life. The most important thing though, is that it has been 400 years since the events that this book was based on transpired, and nothing has changed. The author's frustration bleeds through, and it is like in the quote above, one piece of art in conversation with another.

In the eyes of her family, Artemisia should accept her fate. In the eyes of the law, she is the villain.

Table of Contents

Artemisia Gentileschi dreams of becoming a great artist. Motherless, she grows up among a family of painters -- men and boys. She knows she is more talented than her brothers, but she cannot choose her own future. She wants to experience the world, but she belongs to her father and will belong to a husband. Something that I admire so much in Ms Fremantle’s work is her ability to create the most palpable scenarios right from the off. There’s no need to “get into“ the book, you’re there from the first word. It’s as if you’re immediately enveloped into 17th century Rome, the lifestyle and habits these artists. Is that the mark of impeccable research, skilful writing or a fusion of both. I’ve experienced it in all her books. And for the duration of your read, you’re there in that very world as if you were born to it. At times I felt for Orazio (her father), trying to keep the family reputation intact so that his commissions didn’t dry up. Still grieving, I saw him as lost in a world that was moving on without him. However, he really did make me angry with the decisions he made and his other issues! I had to keep reminding myself of the time this family was alive and the boundaries they had to live within. It couldn’t have been easy trying to discipline such a free spirit as Artemesia! The amazing thing about Artemisia is that she was so talented that people were forced to overlook the fact that she was a woman. According to this novel her father passed off some of her work as his own which didn't go over very well with Artemisia, but I can see how it could happen. Deze Artemisia is nog zoekende in zowel wat ze wil in haar leven als in haar kunst. Haar vader Orazio is een bepalende factor in het leven van zijn dochters en zonen. En dan is er Zita, haar chaperone en occasioneel model die haar eigen demonen najaagt.