Comparing The Painting Judith And Maidservant With The Head Of Holofernes

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

Texture and pattern are very easy to identify in this painting. The street’s cobblestones show texture and pattern in the way that they are arranged. Texture is also demonstrated through the paint strokes on the buildings, the tree, and even the sky. These thick, uneven strokes add a layer of depth and texture to all elements of the painting.

This piece of artwork is called ‘Judith Beheading Holofernes’, which was created by Caravaggio in the late 16th century in Rome. It was a type of oil painting on canvas, also, a piece of artwork in the period of Baroque. Briefly, Hood stated that in this artwork, it told the story in Biblical story of Judith, dressed as a well-born Renaissance young lady, standing at a safe distance, and who was saved her people by beheading and seducing the Assyrian general Holofernes, which was a theme very common in the 16th century. As the biblical text reported, ‘’Holofernes was so enchanted with her that he drank far more wine than he had drunk on any other day in his life’’ (Judith 12:20). Judith got Holofernes drunk, then took his sword and killed him. (p.24)

Chiaroscuro in this painting ultimately creates a sculptural characteristic to the woman’s nude figure. Chiaroscuro is an effect of contrasted light and shadow created by light falling from a particular direction onto something. The light and warm color of her body is in contrast to the dark background, and ultimately causes her body to stand out in the painting. The use of chiaroscuro gives the woman an internal glow, which surrounds the entire body, thus developing a stimulating effect on the audience.

The texture of the painting itself is probably rough. The artist makes no great attempt at conveying implied texture to the viewer. It seems as though implying texture may detract from the overall attitude of the piece. Altogether texture doesn’t play a huge role in this work of art.

Judith Slaying Holofernes1, by Artemisia Gentileschi, is an oil painting and was completed in 1620. It retells the Old Testament story of Judith, a Jewish widow of noble rank. An

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

 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

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

Nanette Salomon emphasizes that there are different ways to make sense of the changes in Artemisia’s three “Susannas”. One explanation may be that Artemisia’s work show progressive naturalism or realism which can be attributed to her development as an artist.

The artwork is a realistic portrait of a women. It is abstracted with asymmetrical balance with exotic and vibrant colors. As if the women is sitting in the corner with two

The initial focus of the painting is Mary as a whole, or perhaps specifically her face and outstretched arms. El Greco, however, uses a Cartesian grid to relocate the focus to the geometric center of the canvas, a clearly intentional move necessary to create the basis of Mary’s upward motion. “Assumption” is strongly divided into four quadrants. The heavens, occupying the upper-half of the canvas, are divided in half vertically by Mary’s body, while the Earth is split by a clear part in the crowd that extends directly downward from that same line. The divine and mortal realms are separated fittingly by a line of clouds vertically centered on the canvas. The result is a crosshairs locked in on the area just below the Virgin’s feet—the area that will become the most important part of the canvas. The

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

Concerning color, there is a stark contrast between the figure on the painting and the background. More specifically, the figure of the woman is predominantly delineated in white color, especially pale, ashen white, as far her apparel and facial complexion are concerned, while there are also various hues of grey, with respect to her hair and accessory feather. These white and grey shades are vividly contrasted with the prevailing red and crimson hues of the background (viz. the drape, armchair, and table). Moreover, one can detect colors of dark green (jewelry), some beige on the left (pillar), and darker or lighter shades of blue on the right side of the canvas (sky), which all in concert and in addition to the subtle purple hue forming the sun or moon exude a certain dramatic sentiment. Also, there is brown, which often easily segues into gold (viz. books and attire details respectively). The main contrast of colors between white and red would be interpreted as serving the purpose of rendering the figure of the woman, and especially her face, the focal point of the work, despite, paradoxically enough, the lush red shades at the background. Bearing that in mind, the significance of the woman’s face will be enlarged upon later, when discussing aspects of her identity.

She harnessed her childhood and rape trauma into her paintings making them more emotional and expressive than those of her father and mentor that were more idealistic. Artemisia’s first signed and dated painting is ‘Susanna and the Elders’ which she took from the Bible story of a woman tormented by two perverted elders who accused her of adultery after she refused their sexual advances. However ‘Judith Slaying Holofernes’ is the most notable work that depicts Judith slicing Holofernes while her handmaiden pins him down in a brutal setting that sets the Jewish people free from the Assyrians. She later painted ‘Judith and her Maidservant’ and ‘Judith and her Maidservant and the head of Holofernes’. Her paintings had an autobiographical approach to them as they used her portrait as the female protagonist bringing them to life, while at the same time, taking the audience through the trials and tribulations she and other women went through. Artemisia works were very influential especially in an era where the women were considered inferior and molested by the men as they give the women a