Michelangelo da Caravaggio’s painting Judith Beheading Holofernes examines goodness and purity in spite of engaging in the act of sinning. Painted in c.1598, using oil on canvas, this painting illustrates a scene from the biblical Book of Judith. It depicts three subjects in what appears to be a bed chamber. The middle subject, Judith is portrayed in the act of beheading the Assyrian commander, Holofernes while her maid looks on (fig. I). In this painting, Judith retains her status of purity and goodness even as she breaks the third commandant, “thou shalt not kill” (2 Exodus. 10:20 The Holy Bible). Caravaggio demonstrates this through the general composition of the scene, the use of intense lighting, and symbolic colour choices. The artist’s use of dark shadows against sharp highlights is one of the painting’s most visually-striking qualities that captures the
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The artist renders Judith in the moment of decapitating the Assyrian commander. She is well-lit, standing on the right side of the painting facing the left side providing a starting point for the viewer’s eye. Her maid stands on her right side, however has little effect in the overall composition as only a small part of her body is present in the scene. Caravaggio renders her using darker hues thus blending her into the shadows making her less immediately visible to the viewer. Furthermore, she plays no integral role in the scene as she is neither performing or being subject to the principal action of the painting. Judith is the one performing the action, her arms extend, inviting the viewer to move westward over the painting. Judith’s gaze in the direction of her action also enhances this path helping to guide the audience’s view from the right to the left side. Judith’s left
The artist renders Judith in the moment of decapitating the Assyrian commander. She is well-lit, standing on the right side of the painting facing the left side providing a starting point for the viewer’s eye. Her maid stands on her right side, however has little effect in the overall composition as only a small part of her body is present in the scene. Caravaggio renders her using darker hues thus blending her into the shadows making her less immediately visible to the viewer. Furthermore, she plays no integral role in the scene as she is neither performing or being subject to the principal action of the painting. Judith is the one performing the action, her arms extend, inviting the viewer to move westward over the painting. Judith’s gaze in the direction of her action also enhances this path helping to guide the audience’s view from the right to the left side. Judith’s left