Susanna and the Elders (autograph copy)

Hi everyone! My name is Isabella, and I'm so excited to show you a really cool painting today! It's called "Susanna and the Elders," and it's by a super talented artist named Artemisia Gentileschi. She painted it a long, long time ago, in 1630! nn What do you think a painting from 1630 might look like? Think about what life was like then – no phones, no computers, just lots of amazing art! nn

This painting is HUGE! It's so big, you could almost walk into it! It tells a story from the Bible about a woman named Susanna. Two mean old men tried to trick her, but Susanna was very brave. nn Can you imagine being in Susanna's shoes? How would you feel? nn

Look closely at Susanna. See how the light shines on her? The artist used a special trick called chiaroscuro – that's a fancy word for light and shadow. It makes Susanna look really important and makes the mean old men look shadowy and sneaky. nn What colors do you see around Susanna? What colors are around the mean old men? Notice how the colors help tell the story! nn

Artemisia Gentileschi was a really special artist. She was a woman, and a long time ago, it wasn't easy for women to be artists. But she was amazing! She painted strong women, and this painting shows how brave and smart Susanna was. nn Do you think it was easy for Artemisia to become a famous artist? Why or why not? nn

This painting isn't just pretty; it tells us a story about being brave and standing up for what's right. It's also a reminder that women have always been amazing artists! Isn't that cool? nn What do you think is the most important thing about this painting? nn

I hope you enjoyed learning about Artemisia Gentileschi and her amazing painting! Let's go look at some more art now!