Judith Beheading Holofernes Analysis

Full analysis

Judith Beheading Holofernes is a painting with rather sinister connotations. The painting is overall very dark; depicting 3 people – 1 man and 2 women. In stark contrast to the rest of the painting, the three figures are all quite colourful; being painted in blue, red and yellow, whereas the background of the image is very dark and foreboding.
Zucker (ca. 2012) notes that the objects in the picture present "a sense of dismemberment that is not only at the head, but also at his [Holofernes's] other limbs". The way in which Gentileschi has utilised shapes in her painting gives viewers a very clear point of interest. Haggo (2018) makes note of the way in which the arms of both Judith and her maid create two "intersecting rectangles which converge at Holofernes's head".

The painting depicts the biblical story of Judith who, in order to save her town of Bethulia, beheads the Assyrian General, Holofernes, after seducing him and getting him intoxicated (Harris, B., ca. 2012; Haggo, R., 2018; Ingram, C., 2017; Le Gallerie Degli Uffizi, n.d.). There have been many iterations of the image, however, the representation of this story by Artemisia Gentileschi is most jarring. Artemisia portrays the image in a much harsher sense than other artists, such as Caravaggio, have.

When comparing the artworks of Artemisia and Caravaggio, we can see that Artemisia's painting depicts a much more violent scene; Judith looks determined, whereas in Caravaggio's work, Judith looks almost disgusted when beheading Holofernes (Ingram, C., 2017). Holofernes can also be seen struggling much more in Artemisia's work; he is visibly choking on his own blood and is fighting back against Judith's maid. Caravaggio, however, paints Holofernes as being more comically surprised, though still terrified. Caravaggio's artwork also utilises the contrast between dark and light to ensure that the viewer only has the gruesome scene to focus on, which is also mimicked in Artemisia's work as she was an admirer of Caravaggio's work and thus took influence from his painting (Art Institute Chicago, 2014; Haggo, R., 2018).

When considering the positioning of the two pieces, we can see in Caravaggio's work that Judith and her maid are quite detached from Holofernes; being positioned to the right, while Holofernes is sectioned off to the left, attached to the former two only by Judith's arms. This is further emphasized by the blank darkness of the background which appears to cordon off the two halves of the painting. In Gentileschi's version, we can see that Judith, her maid and Holofernes are all intertwined with each other, making it distinct that they are all wholly involved in the act.

In Artemisia's work, the sword is held in such a position that it represents the cross; presenting immediate ties with Christianity (Haggo, R., 2018).

The beheading of Holofernes is also placed in the foreground of the image so that it is the first thing that people are drawn to when viewing the painting (Haggo, R., 2018). This represents the significance of the act as it made the difference between certain death of the citizens as well as destruction of Bethulia and survival of the invasion.

The painting was done by female Baroque artist, Artemisia Gentileschi between the years of 1614 and 1620 CE (Art Institute Chicago, 2014; Kleiner, F. S., 2009; Le Gallerie Degli Uffizi, n.d.). It is said that Gentileschi painted this image as a way to vent her frustrations towards a demeaning trial held against her rapist and as a "revenge for the rape" (Art Institute Chicago, 2014; Jones, J., 2016). The determination and force used by Judith when beheading Holofernes is indicative of the emotions felt by Artemisia in the aftermath of the rape and trial; Holofernes representing Agostino Tassi –her rapist, and Judith representing Artemisia Gentileschi (Jones, J., 2016).

Artemisia's painting and all other iterations of the same story depict a scene where women have a significant advantage over a man; something that was incredibly uncommon during the Renaissance (Cloud, A., n.d.; Radek-Hall, M. K., 2001). In the Renaissance period women were expected to be submissive and soft spoken (Cloud, A., n.d.; Le Gallerie Degli Uffizi, n.d.), so the act of a women having power over a man – especially one that was as highly regarded as Holofernes (a general)(Harris, B., ca. 2012; Le Gallerie Degli Uffizi, n.d.), would have been seen as quite controversial at the time.

In terms of the religious connotations, Haggo (2018) claims that during the Middle Ages, Christians who had heard the story of Judith had viewed her as a "forerunner of Christ" given that she had ultimately saved her people, much the same as Christ had when his crucifixion provided the ultimate sacrifice and relieved people from their sins (Fairchild, M., 2019; Faithlife, n.d.).

The painting was originally created as a way for Gentileschi –who was illiterate, to tell her story. The painting is comparable to an autobiography, where she overpowers and gets revenge from her rapist, Agostino Tassi (Jones, J., 2016). Though this is where the painting's provocation stems, it is also a powerful message about women standing up against men despite the cultural belief that they were dishonourable if they were anything but subservient (Cloud, A., n.d.; Jones, J., 2016; Le Gallerie Degli Uffizi, n.d.). Jones, (2016) writes that "if women got together, could we fight back against a world ruled by men?" This question is depicted in Gentileschi's painting by having two women working together to take down one man, where in Caravaggio's painting, Judith is taking down Holofernes on her own with the encouragement of her maid.

Today, the painting is viewed as a stance against inequality rather than the anguish and dishonour that Gentileschi felt after her ordeal with not only her rapist, but the injustice and misogyny of the judicial system of the time.

The Art Institute of Chicago (2014) writes that Gentileschi'swork provides a "unique perspective that both celebrated and humanized strongwomen characters". Her work is often utilised by feminists as a means ofpinpointing an important turning point in history that allowed women to beviewed as strong and capable in a time period where they were not (Cloud, A.,n.d.; Le Gallerie Degli Uffizi, n.d.; Radek-Hall, M. K., 2001). Not only this,but Gentileschi's work has inspired several contemporary books and films (Artinstitute Chicago, 2014).