The book of Judith has inspired a lot of artists to paint this heroic female in the Old Testament. Throughout the history, there are various versions of interpretations. In the modern age, Judith not only represents salvation, but also indicates her existence as a threat to the patriarchal society. Gustav Klimt paints Judith I in 1901 and Judith II 1909. The two versions signify his stylistic transformation, while his obsession with femme fatale is never changed. Klimt’s modern interpretation discloses the ultimate truth that has been covered by conventional morality for centuries.
Biography
Gustav Klimt is born on July 15, 1862, in Vienna. The whole family relies on the father’s meager wages as a goldsmith. At fourteen, Klimt, as well …show more content…
He lives in an apartment with his mother and two of his sisters all his life. However, according to his sister, he rarely speaks to them.
Some critics suggest that the reason he lives with his mother might be due to Klimt’s strong bond to his mother. To some extent, for Klimt, this intimate affiliation produces a fear of forming a relationship with other women. He is fascinated by women and feared of them at the same time. Therefore, the horrific quality emanates from the woman in the painting is intricate because of the personal relationship between Klimt and Adele Bloch-Bauer. From Klimt’s point of view, the woman in this painting wants to cut off his head and then caress it.
Even though Gustav Klimt always tried not to reveal his private life in the eyes of the public, compared with his other works of art, Judith I undoubtedly exposed his personal concerns. In his later “golden phase”, Gustav Klimt starts to conceal the characters of the women on his canvases by employing the forms of Byzantine mosaics and ornamental abstract …show more content…
Klimt deliberately ignores the narrative references to the original story. He cuts off the head of Holofernes at the right margin, and there are no traces of the bloodied sword. Klimt’s Judith suggests the possibility of another kind of weapon she used to achieve her revenge.
Therefore, some critics point out the intimate relationship between Judith and Salome. In the Gospels of Mark and Matthew, Salome dances before Herod and his guests at a festival. The King is pleased and promises to give her whatever she asks. Because of her mother, who is infuriated by John’s condemnation of her marriage, Salome demands the head of John the Baptist on a platter. Concerning the oath, John has to be beheaded by the King. Salome takes the platter with the head of John the Baptist and gives it to her
Biography
Gustav Klimt is born on July 15, 1862, in Vienna. The whole family relies on the father’s meager wages as a goldsmith. At fourteen, Klimt, as well …show more content…
He lives in an apartment with his mother and two of his sisters all his life. However, according to his sister, he rarely speaks to them.
Some critics suggest that the reason he lives with his mother might be due to Klimt’s strong bond to his mother. To some extent, for Klimt, this intimate affiliation produces a fear of forming a relationship with other women. He is fascinated by women and feared of them at the same time. Therefore, the horrific quality emanates from the woman in the painting is intricate because of the personal relationship between Klimt and Adele Bloch-Bauer. From Klimt’s point of view, the woman in this painting wants to cut off his head and then caress it.
Even though Gustav Klimt always tried not to reveal his private life in the eyes of the public, compared with his other works of art, Judith I undoubtedly exposed his personal concerns. In his later “golden phase”, Gustav Klimt starts to conceal the characters of the women on his canvases by employing the forms of Byzantine mosaics and ornamental abstract …show more content…
Klimt deliberately ignores the narrative references to the original story. He cuts off the head of Holofernes at the right margin, and there are no traces of the bloodied sword. Klimt’s Judith suggests the possibility of another kind of weapon she used to achieve her revenge.
Therefore, some critics point out the intimate relationship between Judith and Salome. In the Gospels of Mark and Matthew, Salome dances before Herod and his guests at a festival. The King is pleased and promises to give her whatever she asks. Because of her mother, who is infuriated by John’s condemnation of her marriage, Salome demands the head of John the Baptist on a platter. Concerning the oath, John has to be beheaded by the King. Salome takes the platter with the head of John the Baptist and gives it to her