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Identity signs: meanings and methods in Artemisia Gentileschi's signatures *
Author(s) -
Mann Judith W.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
renaissance studies
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.117
H-Index - 16
eISSN - 1477-4658
pISSN - 0269-1213
DOI - 10.1111/j.1477-4658.2008.00542.x
Subject(s) - identity (music) , extant taxon , style (visual arts) , painting , spelling , reputation , artemisia , art , aesthetics , literature , visual arts , sociology , linguistics , philosophy , botany , social science , biology , evolutionary biology
Artemisia Gentileschi signed nineteen of her approximately forty‐eight extant paintings. She affixed her name in creative ways that reveal her to be a talented manipulator of her image and her identity. By looking at such things as the spelling of her name, its placement, style, and how it is integrated into the painting, we can see how inventively Gentileschi used her signatures. By conscientiously exploiting her name as a pictorial element, Artemisia enriched the meanings of her subjects. She amplified her patrons’ enjoyment of her pictures, furthered her own reputation, and enhanced her prospects for commissions.