Sarah's Doniger Exhibit

In her essay "Many masks, many selves," Wendy Doniger suggests that individuals possess no central identity.  Rather, they are defined by a series of masks that hide and reveal different aspects of their personalities according to each situation.  Based on Doniger's argument, it seems that artists are in a unique position: not only can they forge their identities through media outside the realm of daily life (at least, in part), but also, they may immortalize certain aspects of themselves through their art.  Artemisia Gentileschi's self-portrait, painted in the 1630s, is a notable example of this.  Gentileschi, a seventeenth-century Italian painter, was in the unusual position of being a female artist in a male-dominated artistic world.  Partially as a result of this, she suffered much--including rape by her teacher and torture devices at the subsequent trial--yet she persevered(1).  Through her self-portrait, Gentileschi was able to construct a permanent "mask" for herself--a lens through which people even centuries later could perceive her.  Her portrait gives the impression of a determined artist, yet a lonely and insecure one.  She focuses intently on her work, turning her face to the task of painting rather than her viewer.  She also wears the traditional allegorical symbols of an artist, such as a chain with a mask pendant (a literal link to Doniger's thesis), unkempt hair, and colorful clothing(2).  However, the blankness of her canvas, the general plainness of her surroundings, and her refusal to make eye contact with the viewer emphasize her solitude, her inability to connect with the outside world.  In addition, her unstable, asymmetrical stance; her blank canvas; and her hand reaching up the canvas almost imploringly suggest that she is insecure, perhaps unable to reconcile her roles as an artist and a woman.  Thus, though determined to march ahead in her artistic endeavors, she lacks external support and total confidence in herself.  It is by this set of characteristics--this "mask"--that people will recognize her for ages to come.

1 Encyclopaedia Britannica.  "Artemisia Gentileschi (Italian Painter)."  http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/229350/Artemisia-Gentileschi/2631/Additional-Reading.

2 Gerrard, Mary D.  "Artemisia Gentileschi's Self-Portrait as the Allegory of Painting."  The Art Bulletin, 62.1 (1980), p. 97.