When the National Gallery were generous enough to loan this wonderful painting to the library, I was inspired to put pen to paper. This was the result, which I was proud to perform at the exhibition launch :-
GENTLE ATREMISIA by Jay Andrew
Oh gentle, noble
And courteous Artemisia
Named for the divine huntress
And protector of young women
Who could not, alas
Protect you
From an
Aplehus
Bouphagos
Siproites
Crying “Not so much painting”
As he defiled your tender canvas
Your bitter taste not enough to repel
No holy life for you for father’s shame
You suffered
As they added insult to your injury
Your artist’s fingers
Pulled and wrenched
To prove your testimony true
The law convicts but does not punish
And it falls to you
By rendering your Judith
To exact retribution on his
Hateful Holofernes
For besieging your walls
And sullying your precious state
And now
Here you are
And like the famed and fantastical
Queen of Dragons
You too show
You did not only stop the wheel
You broke the bloody wheel.
