Read All About It: Blood Water Paint

A year or two ago I wrote a research paper about a fascinating painter, Artemisia Gentileschi. She lived in Rome and worked in her father's studio, painting works that he signed his name to while she went unnoticed. Her talent and skill were eventually recognized, but it was at the expense of her own safety. If you've never heard of Artemisia, I highly recommend that you spend some time looking up her works.

Joy McCullough's debut novel, Blood Water Paint is a fascinating young adult novel that portrays the pain and power of Artemisia's life. Her struggles to be recognized as a master painter, survive the trauma of rape, and maintain her innocence in a horrific trial means that Artemisia's story is heartbreaking even as it is empowering. I will say that this book should be accompanied by a trigger warning: there is no graphic description of her rape, but there are graphic descriptions of blood, and the theme should not be ignored. Please take care of yourself while reading!

In Blood Water Paint, Artemisia's story is told in verse, interspersed with short chapters that tell the tales of Judith and Susanna (figures that featured prominently in paintings of the time, "Judith Slaying Holofernes" and "Susanna and the Elders" respectively, that would later become known as Artemisia's masterpieces). Written from Artemisia's perspective, we follow along as she prepares paints, oils, and canvases for her father and paints works that her father signs his own name to. We watch as Artemisia becomes the student of another painter, who rapes her. We hurt alongside her as she makes her story public after that, and we are dragged along as she is, forced to undergo horrific treatment to attempt to prove her own innocence, and condemn her rapist.

Artemisia's story is heartbreaking, to say the least. But McCullough's use of Artemisia's perspective in translating her troubled life into verse is stunning. The language she uses is so vivid that I had no trouble seeing the bright paints she created and used in my mind, and feeling the intense emotions and pain that Artemisia must have felt. As someone who is already a fan of Artemisia's work, I could read along while picturing her striking paintings. There wasn't a single page or verse that felt out of place, and McCullough's work follows Artemisia through intensely personal events that shook the foundations of the Roman art scene.

I read this straight through in a single afternoon, with some pauses after the more intense verses, and immediately wanted to start it over again. If I had more time I would have, but it will have to wait for another weekend. Artemisia's story was beautiful and empowering and the book itself was just plain gorgeous. The dust jacket is so pretty (the color! the strokes! everything!), and the hardcover itself is a deep maroon, with the title on the spine outlined in gold foil imprinted to look like the stroke of a brush. I was super impressed with every bit of it, and I'm very glad I chose to buy the hardcover rather than the Kindle edition.

There were obviously some liberties taken while writing this story. We are unable to know Artemisia's inner thoughts, and very little record exists about her mother, who was a huge influence on Artemisia's life, and plays a significant part in McCullough's work as well. However, McCullough's work is a fantastic example of historical fiction, and her effort to translate it into verse makes it even better. The shortness of lines and McCullough's impactful words make for a great debut.

The book was advertised with a specific tagline taken from the pages themselves:

"I will show you

what a woman can do,"

and these words really resonated with me afterwards. Artemisia's story can feel like grim-dark because of the themes of distress and blood, but this work is also a tale of her strength. McCullough does a great job pulling the pain and anger of Artemisia's life and work into the shape of verse that is empowering and relatable, and especially relevant in today's world.

I look forward to reading more from McCullough in the future! It might not fit into my typical sci-fi/fantasy reviews, but this sort of historical fiction is hitting all the right spots. Until we see her next work, keep an eye out for fantastic paintings and talented young women, who might just be changing the world with their work.