Perdue

Yet from far away 

you catch someone's eye

like a tiny ripple you feel, eventually.

It reminds you about touch

and the permeable skin

wrapped around your soul.

Holding it all in.

The breath you do not notice

interrupted by a heart beat

jumping over a stone in your

subconscious-

When another being

locks in 

to where you are

at,

another place or time...

We would k(no)w more 

about us

and trust-

It must be love

at first sight.

Artwork Credit: Painting by Artemisia Gentileschi c. 1625 in Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons. 

English: Artemisia Gentileschi, one of the most important and accomplished seventeenth-century Italian painters, 

was an iconic model of perseverance, resolve, and achievement despite the numerous obstacles she faced as a woman. 

Trained in Rome in the studio of her father, Orazio Gentileschi, a friend and follower of Caravaggio, the indomitable 

Artemisia tenaciously pursued her professional ambitions on her own terms.

Like Caravaggio, Artemisia painted Mary Magdalene many times, creating fresh expressions of the saint’s spirituality 

through deft use of light and shadow and intense physicality. Here, Mary Magdalene closes her eyes, fingering a cascade 

of auburn hair. In the shadows at left, an ointment jar and a small mirror lay flat on a table. These discarded items, 

along with her bracelet and pearl earring, identify her as Saint Mary Magdalene, who has renounced her former 

life of luxury and vanity and closes her eyes to reflect on her sinful past, vowing her devotion to Christ.

Oblivious to her appearance, she enters a spiritual realm. The sensuality of Artemisia’s painting not only conveys 

the story of Mary Magdalene but also exploits the power of art to connect intimately with the viewer. In contrast to 

some of her more violent narratives of forceful, heroic women, such as Judith and Lucretia, Artemisia’s Magdalene 

captures an introspective moment of contrition and reflection, intense in its spiritual power.

This painting was acquired by Fernando Enríquez Afán de Ribera, the third Duke of Alcalá and later 

Viceroy of Naples, when serving as ambassador in Rome (1625–26). Later displayed in his residence in Seville, 

the Penitent Mary Magdalene was widely copied. The original painting, however, disappeared until recently, 

when it was rediscovered in exceptional condition.