An evening dedicated to Artemisia Gentileschi, one of the most famous painters of the Italian seventeenth century, was held at the Auditorium of the Italian Cultural Institute in Tokyo with the screening of the animated film ‘Slaying Holofernes’, directed by Kurumi Hakamata.
The event began with opening remarks by Luca Marini, Acting Director of the Italian Institute of Culture in Tokyo, followed by a talk by Makiko Kawai, Associate Professor at the Faculty of Letters of the University of Chiba and author of the book ‘Artemisia Gentileschi in Naples’ (Fosco Mariani Award 2024), who presented a profile of Artemisia Gentileschi and the historical, artistic and cultural context in which her work developed. The director Kurumi Hakamata then spoke, introducing Slaying Holofernes, and explaining her reasons for making the animated film.
The work proposes a reinterpretation of the figure of Artemisia Gentileschi through the language of animation, focusing in particular on the famous subject of Judith and Holofernes, one of the most emblematic themes of the artist’s production. The screening gave the Japanese audience the opportunity to learn more about Artemisia Gentileschi – a figure who is still relatively unknown in Japan – through a contemporary and original narrative form that was particularly well-suited to the audience’s tastes.
