FKA Twigs says 17th century painter Artemisia Gentileschi inspired her album Magdalene
FKA Twigs has revealed how she was inspired by the work of 17th-century artist Artemisia Gentileschi as she recovered from heartache.
The singer talks about the painter in an online showcase produced by the National Gallery as it prepares to open its show on Gentileschi this weekend.
The gallery worked with Google Arts & Culture to create the showcase, which includes three videos of Twigs.
The 32-year-old tells how one of the paintings, Mary Magdalene In Ecstasy, above, inspired her 2019 album Magdalene: “It was a time of great healing for me. When I was researching Mary Magdalene and looking at paintings of her, she seemed so poised and together. The irony is, in finishing my music I found a deep wildness, a looseness, an acceptance, a release.”
She added: “Women have always suffered at the hands of the patriarchy. I think that echoes to Artemisia’s story.”
The singer split from her fiancé, actor Robert Pattinson, in 2017 and last year spoke about how she drew from her own heartbreak for Magdalene.
Artemisia runs at the National Gallery from October 3 to January 24. Read our review here.
