"One of the first successful female artists, 17th-century Italian painter Artemisia Gentileschi, has attracted a lot of attention in recent years. In 1997, the Italian biopic "Artemisia" told her story, with an emphasis on the young woman's erotic awakening. That made for a marketable film, but experts complained it was mostly fiction.
Ellen Weissbrod took a different approach in her 2010 documentary "A Woman Like That," which screens this week at the National Gallery of Art. She stuck closely to the facts, while taking Gentileschi's accomplishments as a personal inspiration. The director considered the few known works attributed to Gentileschi and interviewed scholars and amateur admirers alike. Weissbrod also reenacted a few moments from the painter's life, drawing on limited biographical information.
Weissbrod will introduce and discuss her 93-minute documentary at 1 p.m. Saturday at the National Gallery of Art, East Building Auditorium, Fourth Street and Constitution Avenue NW. www.nga.gov/programs/film. 202-737-4215. 202-842-6799. Free."
- Mark Jenkins
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