Artemisia Gentileschi’s Judith Beheading Holofernes is a depiction of the story of Judith from the Old Testament of the Bible and how she saved her city by seducing the invading army’s general, Holofernes, and then got him drunk and cut off his head with his own sword. Judith and her servant then snuck back to the town with the general’s head in a basket. The town displayed the prize the next day and the invading army retreated.
The most striking visual elements of this piece are the use of the contrast and the use of horizontal lines. The work is a study of contrasting color, with Judith, her maiden and Holofernes’s skin all standing in stark relief to the rest of the scene. Furthermore, Gentileschi chose to set the scene against the complete …show more content…
While the scene is fraught with tension for one of the three subjects, the way it is presented to viewers does not relay this tension. Instead, the main thing that seems to be coming across is the sheer strength and resolve of the title’s namesake. Judith is not crying or looking away from her actions. Instead she is focused firmly on the task ahead of her and is carrying it out with the same expression of someone scrubbing a particularly difficult stain.
Gentileschi showcases Judith’s amazing resolve above all else in this painting. The act of cutting off Holofernes’s head is not dramatized or sensationalized. Instead, it is presented as a matter-of-fact thing that Judith must accomplish. The painting’s use of contrast does an effective job of keeping the viewers focused on Judith, and Artemisia makes sure she portrays a committed and effective heroine.
In Judith Beheading Holofernes, the artist set out to portray a heroine as an efficient and brave person who knew what she had to do and knew how to get it done. The painting does not distract from Judith or her action with any kind of background details or with any sensationalized dramatizations. This straightforward presentation combined with the subtle use of effects like contrast and horizontal lines do a magnificent job of presenting the scene without comment, showcasing a strong woman doing a heroic, if brutal, deed; just as I believe Artemisia Gentileschi
The most striking visual elements of this piece are the use of the contrast and the use of horizontal lines. The work is a study of contrasting color, with Judith, her maiden and Holofernes’s skin all standing in stark relief to the rest of the scene. Furthermore, Gentileschi chose to set the scene against the complete …show more content…
While the scene is fraught with tension for one of the three subjects, the way it is presented to viewers does not relay this tension. Instead, the main thing that seems to be coming across is the sheer strength and resolve of the title’s namesake. Judith is not crying or looking away from her actions. Instead she is focused firmly on the task ahead of her and is carrying it out with the same expression of someone scrubbing a particularly difficult stain.
Gentileschi showcases Judith’s amazing resolve above all else in this painting. The act of cutting off Holofernes’s head is not dramatized or sensationalized. Instead, it is presented as a matter-of-fact thing that Judith must accomplish. The painting’s use of contrast does an effective job of keeping the viewers focused on Judith, and Artemisia makes sure she portrays a committed and effective heroine.
In Judith Beheading Holofernes, the artist set out to portray a heroine as an efficient and brave person who knew what she had to do and knew how to get it done. The painting does not distract from Judith or her action with any kind of background details or with any sensationalized dramatizations. This straightforward presentation combined with the subtle use of effects like contrast and horizontal lines do a magnificent job of presenting the scene without comment, showcasing a strong woman doing a heroic, if brutal, deed; just as I believe Artemisia Gentileschi