Blood Water Paint by Joy McCullough

I first learned of Artemisia Gentileschi and her paintings when working with an AP European History class. Those students and others will be intrigued by a new, fictionalized account of her life: BLOOD WATER PAINT by Joy McCullough.  This novel, told partly in verse, details Gentileschi’s creativity as well as the constraints imposed on women’s lives in Renaissance Italy. At one point, the seventeen year-old muses: “I wish men would decide if women are heavenly angels on high, or earthbound sculptures for their gardens. But either way, we’re beauty for consumption.”  And, sadly, violence ensues. When Gentileschi speaks out against her rapist, she is tortured, but ultimately draws inspiration from strong women of The Bible, Susanna and Judith, who also feature prominently in her paintings.  BLOOD WATER PAINT is recommended for more mature high school students (read an excerpt here) and received starred reviews from Booklist, School Library Journal, and VOYA.