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Judith Slaying Holofernes (1612)
Encyclopedia
Judith Slaying Holofernes is a painting by the Italian
early Baroque
artist Artemisia Gentileschi
completed between 1611–12. The work shows an apocrypha
scene from the Old Testament
Book of Judith which details the delivery of Israel
from the Assyria
n general Holofernes
. In this scene, Holofernes has been seduced by Judith, who along with her maidservant behead the general after he has fallen asleep drunk.
The painting is relentlessly physical, from the wide spurts of blood to the energy of the two women as they try to wield the large dagger. The effort of the women's struggle is most finely represented by the delicate face of the maid which is grasped by the over sized, muscular fist of Holofernes as he desperately struggles to survive. Part of the reason that the painting is so realistic is because it was very personal to Artemisia. Although it is a classic scene from the Bible, she drew herself as Judith and her mentor Agostino Tassi
as Holofernes. Gentileschi's biographer Mary Garrard famously proposed an autobiographical reading of the painting, stating that it functions as "a cathartic expression of the artist's private, and perhaps repressed, rage."
This self-insertion was reversed in an influential composition by Cristofano Allori
(c. 1613 onwards), which exists in several versions and copied a conceit of Caravaggio's recent David with the Head of Goliath; here the head is a portrait of the artist, Judith his ex-mistress, and the maid her mother.
Caravaggio
's Judith Beheading Holofernes is believed to be the main source of this work, and his influence can be seen in the naturalism and violence Gentileschi brings to her canvas. In both there is a notable absence of decorative detail in the background. Gentileschi's father was a painter of repute; he was also very much influenced by Caravaggio's style, and painted his own version of Judith slaying Holofernes. Artemisia herself painted two near identical versions of the episode; the second was completed sometime between 1614–18, and is held in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence
.
A different composition by Artemisia Gentileschi in the Pitti Palace in Florence shows a more traditional scene with head in a basket.
Judith's beheading of Holofernes has been explored by a number of artists including
Giorgione
, Titian
, Rembrandt and Peter Paul Rubens.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
early Baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
artist Artemisia Gentileschi
Artemisia Gentileschi
Artemisia Gentileschi was an Italian Early Baroque painter, today considered one of the most accomplished painters in the generation influenced by Caravaggio...
completed between 1611–12. The work shows an apocrypha
Apocrypha
The term apocrypha is used with various meanings, including "hidden", "esoteric", "spurious", "of questionable authenticity", ancient Chinese "revealed texts and objects" and "Christian texts that are not canonical"....
scene from the Old Testament
Old Testament
The Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...
Book of Judith which details the delivery of Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
from the Assyria
Assyria
Assyria was a Semitic Akkadian kingdom, extant as a nation state from the mid–23rd century BC to 608 BC centred on the Upper Tigris river, in northern Mesopotamia , that came to rule regional empires a number of times through history. It was named for its original capital, the ancient city of Assur...
n general Holofernes
Holofernes
In the deuterocanonical Book of Judith Holofernes was an invading general of Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar dispatched Holofernes to take vengeance on the nations of the west that had withheld their assistance to his reign...
. In this scene, Holofernes has been seduced by Judith, who along with her maidservant behead the general after he has fallen asleep drunk.
The painting is relentlessly physical, from the wide spurts of blood to the energy of the two women as they try to wield the large dagger. The effort of the women's struggle is most finely represented by the delicate face of the maid which is grasped by the over sized, muscular fist of Holofernes as he desperately struggles to survive. Part of the reason that the painting is so realistic is because it was very personal to Artemisia. Although it is a classic scene from the Bible, she drew herself as Judith and her mentor Agostino Tassi
Agostino Tassi
Agostino Tassi was an Italian painter, mostly of landscapes and seascapes, who is now best known as the rapist of Artemisia Gentileschi....
as Holofernes. Gentileschi's biographer Mary Garrard famously proposed an autobiographical reading of the painting, stating that it functions as "a cathartic expression of the artist's private, and perhaps repressed, rage."
This self-insertion was reversed in an influential composition by Cristofano Allori
Cristofano Allori
Cristofano Allori was an Italian portrait painter of the late Florentine Mannerist school. Allori was born at Florence and received his first lessons in painting from his father, Alessandro Allori, but becoming dissatisfied with the hard anatomical drawing and cold coloring of the latter, he...
(c. 1613 onwards), which exists in several versions and copied a conceit of Caravaggio's recent David with the Head of Goliath; here the head is a portrait of the artist, Judith his ex-mistress, and the maid her mother.
Caravaggio
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio was an Italian artist active in Rome, Naples, Malta, and Sicily between 1593 and 1610. His paintings, which combine a realistic observation of the human state, both physical and emotional, with a dramatic use of lighting, had a formative influence on the Baroque...
's Judith Beheading Holofernes is believed to be the main source of this work, and his influence can be seen in the naturalism and violence Gentileschi brings to her canvas. In both there is a notable absence of decorative detail in the background. Gentileschi's father was a painter of repute; he was also very much influenced by Caravaggio's style, and painted his own version of Judith slaying Holofernes. Artemisia herself painted two near identical versions of the episode; the second was completed sometime between 1614–18, and is held in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
.
A different composition by Artemisia Gentileschi in the Pitti Palace in Florence shows a more traditional scene with head in a basket.
Judith's beheading of Holofernes has been explored by a number of artists including
Giorgione
Giorgione
Giorgione was a Venetian painter of the High Renaissance in Venice, whose career was cut off by his death at a little over thirty. Giorgione is known for the elusive poetic quality of his work, though only about six surviving paintings are acknowledged for certain to be his work...
, Titian
Titian
Tiziano Vecelli or Tiziano Vecellio Tiziano Vecelli or Tiziano Vecellio Tiziano Vecelli or Tiziano Vecellio (c. 1488/1490 – 27 August 1576 better known as Titian was an Italian painter, the most important member of the 16th-century Venetian school. He was born in Pieve di Cadore, near...
, Rembrandt and Peter Paul Rubens.