Artemisia Gentileschi is considered one of the great painters of the Baroque era, and is particularly revered for her mastery of the Caravaggio style. His power as an artist derives not only from his technical and creative abilities, but also from his keen understanding of and involvement in the theoretical discourse on painting and the artist's genius. Known for his vigorous depictions of powerful biblical heroines who do not conform to typical images of femininity and for the intensity of Caravaggio's style, Gentileschi's work can be considered quintessential Baroque. As is the burden of many female artists, her work has consistently been read through the lens of her personal life and sexuality. At the age of seventeen Gentileschi was assaulted by her painting teacher, Agostino Tassi. Much of her work has been read in the context of trauma, particularly in her depictions of Judith and Susanna. Rozsika Parker and Griselda Pollock put it this way: “When faced with Gentileschi's expressive, powerful or victimized images of women, writers have not been able to adapt his paintings to the usual female stereotype: they fail to trace the expected signs of femininity , weakness, grace or delicacy. Therefore, unable to place her work into a stereotype, they turn instead to the dramatic events of her life” (10) While it is valid to read her strong heroines as reactions to her sexual violence, it is important to recognize that Gentileschi was part of a dialogue much more nuanced about the position of the artist and women in the Baroque era. Her life is often romanticized and sensationalized, further feminizing her and creating a greater void between her and her male counterparts. While... in the center of the sheet... an elf in action refuses to represent her body as a passive signifier for artistic perfection. In this he rejects the image of women as a person who inspires but does not create art and reaffirms his action. He also firmly rejects the concept that design depends on the perfection of the female form, criticizing the use of the inactive female body as a metaphor for man's artistic genius. Deeply absorbed in her work, the artist does not even address the public, her face is turned towards the work and not towards the spectator. Perhaps this is a direct response to the eroticization of owning a painting produced by a woman; the realism of the representation prevents the presumably male audience from seeing his full face. Her body is shown in action and in foreshortening, eliminating any possibility of comparison with the perfectly proportioned female figures so often used