A Renaissance artist’s studio overlooking Rome. Artemisia paints beside a bust while two boys sit on the floor, playfully fighting with their brushes.

Who was... Artemisia Gentileschi?

Personal project

2026

Proposal for a short non-fiction comic for children.

Adult Artemisia paints on a large canvas in her studio while two astonished men watch her from behind a curtain.

Hero: Artemisia Gentileschi was born in Rome in 1593. Her father was a painter. He taught her and her brothers to paint.

Above: As a young woman, Artemisia became a professional painter. This was unusual: painting was considered a man’s profession at the time.

Close-up of Artemisia painting Judith’s face in 'Judith Slaying Holofernes'.

She painted stories from ancient history and the Bible. Her paintings often show women as strong and determined.

Pregnant Artemisia paints her self-portrait as Saint Catherine of Alexandria, with one child on her hip and another in a crib.

Artemisia worked for important patrons in Florence, Rome, Naples and London. At the same time, she had five children.

Three men in late 19th-century dress look at a painting, while Artemisia’s self-portrait is half-hidden behind a curtain.

After her lifetime, her paintings were overlooked for centuries. People even thought that her father or another man had painted them.

A bright gallery filled with Gentileschi’s paintings, with a girl mirroring a dramatic pose from one of them.

Today, Artemisia is recognised as one of the most important painters of her time. Her paintings inspire people with their stories of strength and courage.