Analysis Of Artemisia Gentileschi's Judith Beheading Holofernes

During the late 1590’s and early 1600’s Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, father of the baroque period not only heavily influenced the artists around him, but also influenced thousands of artists of future generations, one such artist is Valentin de Boulogne. This influence is evident as Boulogne would use many of the same religious themes and concepts in his work as Caravaggio implemented in his art. Caravaggio’s use of realism, violence, torture, vulgarity and decapitation resonated deeply with Boulogne as he expanded on these themes. One such piece that bares a unique resemblance to a work Caravaggio painted in 1599 is Judith and Holofernes. Painted by Boulogne in 1626, this painting contains many characteristics associated with the

I had never heard of the artist Artemisia Gentileschi before this introductory Art course. Of all the paintings and sculptures found within the book, it was her work that stood out and spoke to me. "Judith and Maidservant with the head of Holofernes" is a particularly rich oil painting by the Italian Gentileschi, painted circa 1625 Europe. Her large canvas measures 72 and 1/2 inches by 55 and 3/4 inches and began as a biblical story telling inspiration come to life within the oil. Located at the Detroit Institute of Arts, the painting was a gift to the institute from Art collector Mr. Leslie H. Green in 1952. Artemisia was the daughter of a painter (and caravaggio influenced) Orazio Gentileschi, she was also the wife of little known artist

(britannica.com) Artemisia was a Baroque period painter. Gentileschi was born in Rome, Italy on July 8th of 1593. Artemisia lived in Florence, and then moved to Genoa and Venice, She lost her mother at the age of 12. (britannica.com) She was later rapped by one of her Orazio’s colleagues; Agostino Tassi.

In the painting, ‘Virgin and Child’, by Rogier van der Weyden, it can be observed that the artist chose to use the medium of oil on wood. Despite the fact that Rogier van der Weyden created this painting in the Netherlands and was born in Tournai, Belgium, their primary influence appeared to stem from the Italian Renaissance, which had begun to use the technique of oil paintings with increasing frequency by turn of the 15th century. The subject of the painting itself, Madonna and her virgin child, were a common theme in the Renaissance, where religious subjects and topics were the primary choice for any prominent artist during this historical artistic period.

 It seemed as if the court almost condoned his actions and felt little pity for Artemisia.  Her paintings, at this point in her life, become drastically different.  In about 1612, she paints the first of five works of Judith and Holoferness.  The gory scene shows Holoferness, an Assyrian general being beheaded by Judith, a Jewish widow.  The scene shows ample amount of blood, however, it does not feel like a room of murder.  The killing of Holoferness by Judith is done in order to protect her homeland and life.  Also, she prays to god in order to give her the strength to do the killing.  Therefore, she felt it was justifiable.  It is a rare message for the early 1600's in that it is the woman avenging a man.  The powerful scene  of   It seems that Artemisia paints these works in order to avenge her own suffering from Tossi as well as the justice system.  By depicting such a strong and powerful woman, Artemisia is, in a sense, creating a world which she believes in.  In this world, women can speak up and women are heard.  Women are just as capable of murder, leadership, and power as any man.  Artemisia paints four more scenes of Judith and Holoferness all varying slightly.  However, her overall theme and meaning of the work is consistent.  Simply put, Judith is a woman to be looked at and respected for being a strong willed woman who stands up for what she

Judith Cutting Off the Head of Holofernes (Figure 1), ca. 1640,1 is consisting of a well-dressed female decapitating a middle-age man in his bed with the aid of an old woman. The elegantly dressed female using a sword to behead the man is named Judith. The male figure in the painting is

Former President Barack Obama unveiled his presidential portrait along with the former first lady’s as well. Barack’s was painted by artist Kehinde Wiley while Michelle’s was done by Amy Sherald. After the reveal people felt the need to bring up Kehinde controversial past works, specifically two from 2012 both of them titled “Judith Beheading Holofernes” it being a parody of Caravaggio two paintings of the same name. Both of Kehinde’s painting convey the same idea; a black woman locking eyes with the viewer with the head of white a woman in one hand and knife held at the side on a more european-romanticism styled backdrop, a staple in his works.

In Artemisia Gentileschi’s Judith and Maidservant with the Head of Holofernes Judith is depicted with her maidservant after the head of Assyrian general Holofernes has been chopped off. The Assyrian Army was to beseech Judith’s town Bethulia. Judith is a jewish widow, who was invited to have dinner with Holofernes. After a night of drinking she attempts to seduce him in order to chop his head off, and save her people. This is the second image in a series of three Gentileschi produces, here she has succeeded in her mission, and is attempting to get away.

During the Renaissance, a religious view of the world made a huge impact on art. The biblical character David became an emerging popular subject among artists. Although David’s story is quite simple, artists faced challenges creating a visual representation of the young hero. The two main obstacles were discovering how to portray the body committing the act, and also rendering the spirit of the act itself. Among the artists who tried to recreate this story visually were Andrea del Castagno and Andrea del Verrocchio.

The story behind this painting is a Biblical tale about a strong heroine named Judith, who was known for her bravery and resistance against the Assyrian troops that come to assume control over her people. In this story, Judith uses her wit and seduction to ease her way into the Assyrian troops' camp and continue with a genius plan to execute the Assyrian General, Holofernes. She seduces him, and once he is drunk, beheads him in his own tent, with his own soldiers all around him oblivious (Branch). Judith was able to defeat the enemy and resist what could have been the end of many Israelites' lives. Cranach's choice suggested a political resistance that required a bravery similar to that of Judith's. Small details in the painting such as the bodice of the dress and Judith's jewelry show Cranach's love for a decorative surface, as well as the

Artemisia Gentileschi was not the first to paint Judith Slaying Holofernes. Her father had painted Judith. Michelangelo, Botticelli and Caravaggio had painted Judith. Donatello had sculpted Judith. But she was the first to interpret the story of Judith, in a time when women had few rights, as an allegory for female dominance. In comparison with other contemporary versions, the composition, dramatic style, and emotions of the characters present a violently feminist view that may have stemmed from Gentileschi's own experiences.

This painting is much more sensual than Giorgione’s painting due to Titian’s because he engages the woman with the audience by making her look straightforwardly at the audience and his use of chiaroscuro (Grabski, Józef).

In this essay, I will discuss the startling differences between two depictions of the story of Judith and Holofernes. “Judith with the Head of Holofernes”, 1495, created by Andrea Mantegna, is a small-scale painting that was completed during the Renaissance. The second is a Baroque painting, “Judith Slaying Holofernes”, c.1620 by Artemisia Gentileschi and is on a larger scale than the version created by Mantegna. Both artworks take inspiration from the religious story that appears in the Catholic editions of the Bible. The story is about a young widowed Jewish woman, by the name of Judith, who murdered an enemy army general, Holofernes, to spare her people from death. I will compare and contrast how the scene has been depicted in rather different ways by each of the artists and the influencing factors that contributed to the overall outcome of both works. I will also be discussing how form and naturalism are portrayed between the two paintings, use of colour, symbolism and religion, as well as the Renaissance and Baroque eras.

In the year of 1571, Caravaggio was born in Italy. At age 11, Caravaggio was orphaned, luckily he was apprenticed with a painter in Milan. His work became popular when he moved to Rome. Caravaggio's work became popular for the “tenebrism technique he used, which used shadow to emphasize lighter areas” (“Caravaggio”). This painting tells a biblical story about Judith Beheading Holofernes. In the picture, Judith is the women in the middle that is about to behead Holofernes, the man lying on the bed. The reason why she is doing this because she is saving her people from Holofernes. The women on the far left is Judith’s maid waiting for her to behead Holofernes (Judith Beheading Holofernes, 1599 by Caravaggio). Caravaggio used many elements

1597-98). The heroic moment of Judith’s courage to as she beheads the general Holofernes is frozen onto the canvas. Instead of mathematical conventions, form is shown through dramatic tonal rendering, and contrast between the 3 figures and the darkness of the background. Similar to a photograph of a stage play. Caravaggio’s focus on the quality of the subject is the main story-telling factor. Holofernes’ mixed facial expression shows the remaining aspects of shock and panic as if there is still one final breath of life within him as his neck is being cut. However, the clear focus is on Judith herself who, standing relatively far away from the General whom she is beheading, has an unmistakably disgusted facial expression as if she wants to end the act with haste. The overall horrific atmosphere is amplified by the curtain behind the figures, it is the same colour as the blood that is shooting out from Holofernes’ neck, a visual representation to the violent act but also the Judith’s bravery and determination to save her hometown. The clear exaggeration of the blood, and theatrical style is typical of the Baroque visual