Judith Slaying Holofernes

Judith Slaying Holofernes

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.

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 Assyrian general, Holofernes, had laid siege to the Israelite town of Bethulia. Judith used her beauty to meet Holofernes and soon after he arranged for them to dine together. During the meal Holofernes became increasingly drunk, and with the help of her maid, Judith used his sword to behead him. She took the head back to her city, and seeing it on display, the Assyrian army grew afraid and was easily defeated by the Bethulians.

The painting is dark and dramatic, as was the Baroque trend of the time. Its Caravaggesque style is obviousÐ'--the figures are theatrically lit from the side, and stand out from the inky, black background. Judith and her maid Abra stand to the left, partially over Holofernes, who is vulnerable on his back. A spotlight seems to have been cast on the action, with the wrestling limbs splashed by darks and lights. The bright movement is framed by very dark drapes, which hang motionlessly in the background. This almost-black backdrop lends an air of mystery, of dark deeds done in dark settings. Holofernes's body projects out on the bed, creating an impression of space. This position demonstrates another Caravaggesque influence, in its apparent resemblance to Caravaggio's The Conversion of Saint Paul2.

The shadows on Judith's arms emphasize the twisting movements she uses to saw off the man's head. The arm's contrasting bright light can be followed down to the silvery sheen on the sword, which is met by the darks of Holofernes's beard. This point of high contrast brings the eye in and becomes an area of focus from which blood gushes out. It streams down cushions and spurts at Judith as she grapples with the dying man. Judith Slaying Holofernes is a piece filled with violence.

The role of violence not only serves to excite the viewer, but to stress the involvement of the women. Judith's sleeves are rolled up and she looks on with a determined mien. Clothed in gold, she is heroic. She tightly grips her hands and locks her elbows. Her maid Abra knots her brow as she struggles to pin down Holofernes' arms. The painting itself is 6'7" by 5'4", nearly life-size. This relation to reality brings to life the very convincing assassination. Delicate, porcelain detachment, though often the method in which various other Judiths are illustrated, is not a trait of Gentileschi's heroines.

However, Judith was often not a hero in the Baroque world of men. In the very patriarchal Italian society in which the painting was created, men did not like to think of Judith as a possibility. A woman triumphing over man was unthinkable, and therefore was treated as the most mythical of allegories. In Hendrick Goltzius's Judith3 (1585) Judith becomes an exemplum of Victory. Depicted after she had slain the general, she holds his head in one hand, grasping his hair much as Perseus was portrayed in, holding the head of Medusa. She is simply a metaphor, unreal, mythological, and like Perseus, magical.

In some versions of the story, the piece is titled, "The Tragedy of Holofernes." Sometimes there is an accompanying inscription that reads, "Fastus precedit lapsum", or "pride goes before a fall". Holofernes' arrogance and hubris brought about his demise, and therefore he becomes in part a tragic hero. Judith's role can be compared to that of Delilah in the downfall of Samson. Delilah was a beautiful Philistine who tricked Samson to achieve his ruin. Judith and Delilah both used their beauty and intelligence against men, and were therefore both determined to be deceitful and immoral. Judith came to be known as la belle dame sans merci, the beautiful lady without mercy.

In Cellini's Perseus4, and Giambologna's The Rape of the Sabine Women5, violence towards women was moralized and perceived as normal. As the antithesis of this attitude, the character and deeds of Judith were viewed as subversive and offensive. Francesco di Lorenzo, herald of the Signoria, asked to have Donatello's Judith6 removed from the front of the Palazzo Vecchio in 1504 on the grounds that "Judith is an omen of evilÐ'... it is not proper that the woman should kill the male."

Artists striving for any appearance of propriety created extremely feminine, quiet and bland Judiths, perhaps to avoid the controversy Gentileschi wholeheartedly invited. Veronese's Judith7 (1570) is a perfect example of this. Her hair is immaculately braided and her skin a porcelain white rivaling the delicate pearls around her neck. She gazes into the distance as she daintily places the head of Holofernes in the bag her servant holds out for her. Simply put, Judith appears as dead as the head she holds. She is devoid of emotion, intelligence and humanity. Again, she is nothing but an allegory, a warning for proud and arrogant men.

Carlo Saraceni's Judith8 (1615) has a smiling Judith holding out the still-screaming head of Holofernes. The dramatic lighting is reminiscent of Gentileschi, but completely lacks the excitement and action. Here Judith is supremely quiet and bland. As in Veronese's piece she gazes off into the distance. She appears to be daydreaming, and it is not likely that she is dreaming of murdering generals to save her people. She does not emerge as involved in the assassination, other than holding the victim's head. Mentally and emotionally, she is completely detached. It would be more believable that the real Judith had done the dirty work and then handed this evidence to this innocent girl.

In the matter of style, Gentileschi's work is characteristically heavily draped, richly colored, dramatically lit, and has a dark backdrop. It is typical Caravaggio in its chiaroscuro and realism. The similarities are striking when compared to Caravaggio's own Judith Beheading Holofernes9 (1598-99). The composition again places the heroine and her maid to the left, with Judith beheading the reclining Holofernes. Light is thrown across her