The Light and The Dark (The Life and Times of Artemisia Gentileschi) @ 59E59

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The Play: The Light and the Dark (The Life and Times of Artemisia Gentileschi); a paint-by-the-numbers version of this gifted 17th century painter’s struggles to be recognized as an artist at a time when, regardless of their talent, very few women were accepted as professional painters

Written by: Kate Hamill        Directed by: Jade King Carroll

One good thing:  As the dozens of books that have been published about her attest, Gentileschi is a fascinating subject

One not-so-great thing:  Hamill, who also stars as the artist, is clearly incensed by how Artemisia was treated, particularly by the men in her life, but she channels that anger into long harangues that unfortunately come off more as pedantic Ted Talks than affective drama, shedding very little new light on this feminist icon

 

 


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