In her painting Judith Slaying Holofernes, a painting depicting the beheading of an Assyrian General at the hands of a common Jewish woman. This story of Judith had been painted by many other artists over the years. In the depiction by Caravaggio of Judith she is shown daintily slitting the throat of Holofernes while her maidservant looks on. To contrast in the depiction painted by Artemisia Judith is shown aggressively driving the sword through the neck of Holofernes while grabbing a fist full of his face and beard as she pushes it away from his body. Her maidservant is actively holding down Holofernes who in this painting is fighting back against his attackers. The painting is very dark in its subject matter as well as the painting itself.
