this is no longer what it started out as

fancy seeing you here

guys i wrote an essay for my art history and you guys have tk read it now

Judith Slaying Holofernes
"Lord God, to whom all strength belongs, prosper what my hands are now to do for the greater glory of Jerusalem; for now is the time to recover your heritage and to further my plans to crush the enemies arrayed against us." This was the prayer Judith recited before beheading Holofernes to save her city. The Baroque piece Judith Slaying Holofernes. 1620-21, oil on canvas, 162.5 x 199 cm. is a piece widely known in the subjects of art historians and women and anyone in between. The piece was painted by Artemisia Gentileschi, a Roman artist who is renowned for succeeding in what was at the time, a male dominated career. Other pieces of hers include Susanna and the Elders, 1610, Danae, 1612, and Jael and Sisera, 1620. Judith Slaying Holofernes depicts the story in The Book of Judith starring Judith, a widow, and Holofernes, the Assyrian General opposing her city, whom she seduced and killed in a gruesome yet historical scene to save her people.
I believe this piece is a key point in the history of feminism, as during that time period, women were scarcely depicted as strong and individual, especially not in Christianity. While this painting does influence modern feminism and the art that ties into it, that doesn't mean that it's influencing women to kill all opposing men. Women today, especially in the present political climate, are constantly faced with discrimination and misogyny, just as they did in the era in which Gentileschi painted Judith Slaying Holofernes. It's inspiring for women, myself included, to see an angry, strong, and motivated woman being recognized in such a way. In a world where the patriarchy is strong and womens' rights are constantly threatened, pieces like this being recognized and displayed is a triumph.
When Gentileschi was 17, she was sexually assaulted by another painter by the name of Agostino Tassi and took him to court for his actions. During this trial, Gentileschi herself was strong, independant and angry, just like the subject of the piece she would create 3 years later. "... Artemisia repeatedly asserts that she is telling the truth... she is tortured using the 'sibille'... She is recorded as saying: 'I have told the truth and i always will, because it is true and I am here to confirm it wherever necessary'" (Nat. Gallery UK). Many people believe that her reasoning for painting Judith Slaying Holofernes was to create a sort of revenge piece. Female rage is a strong emotion, recognized by so many women around the world. Today and throughout history the subject of female rage has been channeled into different art forms such as poetry, performance arts, full length novels, and of course painting, and Gentileschi's pieces are such wonderful examples of this. Other pieces by other women to take into consideration include Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar, Kate Holly's The Silent Rage of Women, and Elisabetta Sirani's Self-Portrait as Allegory of Painting. Each of these pieces were written or painted by women, and each of these pieces represent the rage of the women who created them.
Judith Slaying Holofernes is a powerful piece not only by subject, but by texture, lighting, and movement. The different details that were painted by Gentileschi do an amazing job at conveying the emotion and strength it was created to convey. The dark colors, the lighting, the strain and roughness of such a violent scene, and the smaller details are powerful and add so much depth to the painting. Comparing Gentileschi's Judith Slaying Holofernes to the identically named piece painted by Caravaggio, the depth and emotions channeled into the piece differ. The piece by Gentileschi, a woman, conveys so much more depth in Judith's angry expression, her rolled up sleeves, her slouched posture and straining hands, whereas the piece by Caravaggio, a man, makes Judith look softer and more appealing to the male gaze. Her expression is gentle, her posture upright. One key difference I observed was that in Gentileschi's piece, Judith is shrunken back in disgust and strain and the pocket of fat underneath her chin is showing, and in Caravaggio's piece Judith is conveyed as pristine and soft. It's frustrating to see that in such a piece, where the focus is meant to be the emotion and rage of Judith, Caravaggio still seemed to focus on Judith's attractiveness, and it only proves the point that the channeling of female rage into pieces makes them so much more emotional and accurate.
I think that this painting is such a strong keypoint in the history of feminism and has such a strong impact on viewers, especially female viewers. Gentileschi is such an influential painter and woman, and I hold her and her art close to my heart and so do many other women. Strong women in history are a force to be reckoned with when it comes to historical and modern feminism, and I hope women as a community continue to progress and I hope that female artists and authors and poets continue to channel such strong emotion into their work.