Proposal+E

__Synopsis__ "Life Without Instruction" is the fictionalized account of the historical trial of Artemisia Gentileschi, a 17th century Italian painter. Kept isolated by her father Orazio, Artemisia is apprenticed to Agostino Tassi, a friend of Orazio, who rapes her under the guise of teaching 'perspective.' Orazio and Artemisia both attempt to recreate the biblical story of Judith in their art, but ultimately it is Artemisia whose higher understanding and connection allow her to dominate the subject in the art world of men.

__Historical Background__ Artemisia Gentileschi (1593-1665), the play's central character, is a famous Italian painter from the Baroque period whose paintings such as "Susannah and the Elders" have often been interpreted as autobiographical, being depictions and symbols of physical and psychological pain. Most of her artwork involves heroines exacting revenge on men. Artemesia Gentileschi is historically proven to have been sheltered by her father and raped by Agostino Tassi with the help of his friend Cosimo Quorlis. She was the first member of the Accademia di Arte del Disegno in Florence, and one of the first women to be recognized in a more male-dominated world of art of the time. Her father was also a famous painter, Orazio Gentileschi.

__The Baroque Period__

__Judith and Holofernes__ (William McKinley) The book of Judith, found in Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Bibles, is the story of a Jewish widow who saves her town from an invading Assyrian army. Beautiful and intelligent, Judith gains the trust of the Assyrian general Holofernes by promising him military information and uses this to gain increased access to the army's camp. Eventually she finds herself alone with a drunken Holofernes, thus giving her the opportunity to behead the general and sneak his head out of camp in a bag grain. When the Assyrian army discovers their general's body, they become disorganized and disband, thus saving the Israelite community.

__Sally Clark__ (Michelle Chisholm) Photo Link: http://www.theatrebc.org/member/tbnk/TbnkPhotos/SallyClark.jpg About the Author Sally Clark was born in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1953. She has a background beginning in painting, playwriting, and film-making. Clark attended York University in Ontario where she obtained her BA with general honours in Fine Arts. Clark wrote and directed two films: “The Art of Conversation”, and “Ten Ways to Abuse an Old Woman”. Clark also wrote one novel, and nine plays, including “Life Without Instruction”. Clark's plays have received a Chalmers Award, two Dora Mavor Moore Award nominations and a Governor General’s Award nomination. Sally started her career as a painter which greatly influenced the making of “Life Without Instruction” and a strong background in historical art. The play was written 1989, first produced in 1991 at Theatres Plus Toronto, and first published by Talon books in 1994. Clark continues to paint today and holds numerous exhibitions to display her works.

__Critical Reviews__ Sherrill Grace of the University of British Columbia makes several comments on the inspiration derived from the life of Artemisia Gentileschi: “ Revival of interest in Gentileschi, no matter what form that it takes, turns on the rape trial and on these paintings, and in each fictional creation of the artist's life differing emphases and interpretations are given to these dramatic events and hence to her great works. To date, the works inspired by her story include four novels and four plays (one of which is Sally Clark's Life Without Instruction) in English, one feature film, and two television pieces. ” "Artemisia Gentileschi’s work is widely “interpreted as direct reflections of her personal experiences, with the inevitable implications that she could not have painted them if she had not actually experienced harassment, betrayal, torture, and rape, and that the power of her best work derives from some essential (hence essentialist) femaleness, where to be female is to be defined by one's body (including one's sexuality), by what is done to that body by men and by one's feminine passions.”