About Artemisia Gentileschi's Judith Slaying Holofernes
Women’s rights are facing increased legislation in the United States. This is 1 of 8 pivotal artworks about women’s autonomy and sexuality.
Cover photo: Judith Slaying Holofernes, oil on canvas, by Artemisia Gentileschi (circa 1620). Courtesy of Wikipedia.
Even in this #MeToo era, women’s rights are still under attack. Activists are fighting all over the world, for the LGBT community, Black lives, and women’s control over their own bodies and sexuality. Just recently, 8 states have passed new anti-abortion bills. Here are 8 pivotal artworks about women’s autonomy and sexuality. This is one work of an eight-part series.
WARNING: The following article discusses topics of sex, murder, and rape.
Judith Slaying Holofernes — Artemisia Gentileschi (circa 1620)
Artemisia Gentileschi (1593-1652/53) was an Italian Baroque era painter. She was a follower of Caravaggio, continuing in dramatic realism with his established technique of tenebrism, an extreme contrast in lighting. Gentileschi is known for her intense use of color and skilled portrayals of powerful women. In 1616, Gentileschi became the very first woman accepted into the prestigious Florentine Academy of Fine Arts.
Gentileschi’s painting Judith Slaying Holofernes, circa 1620, is her greatest masterpiece, eclipsing Caravaggio’s earlier painting. Gentileschi depicts the Biblical tale of a lowly widow who kills an enemy commander to save her city. Judith’s story is that of triumph over tyranny, and, as described by scholar Patrizia Cavazzini, “assertion of agency.”
The Jewish city of Bethulia was under siege by the Assyrians. A widow named Judith “made herself very beautiful, to entice the eyes of all the men” then, accompanied by her maid, she left to infiltrate the enemy camps with a plan to seduce and kill the army’s commander. The general Holofernes was immediately enamored and he arranged a lavish banquet for Judith. Afterwards, once he was intoxicated, Judith decapitated Holofernes with his own sword. The army fled and Bethulia was left in peace.
At the age of 17, in 1612, Gentileschi was raped by her painting teacher, Agostino Tassi. He refused to marry her and Gentileschi’s father brought charges against Tassi, causing her to suffer a lengthy, humiliating, and torturous trial. Tassi was sentenced to prison but he never served time.
Judith Slaying Holofernes is read as a manifestation of Gentileschi’s traumatic experience. In fact, Gentileschi has represented Judith as an aged version of herself, as can be compared to her self-portraits.
Gentileschi captures — to terrifying effect — the moment just as Judith is cutting the commander’s throat. The composition and color scheme is similar to Caravaggio’s version but Gentileschi portrays the murder with greater intimacy and physicality. The apprehensive disgust seen in Caravaggio’s Judith is replaced by Gentlisechi with unyielding determination.
The bed is stained red. Holofernes struggles in vain against the attack. The parabolic trajectory of the blood leaving his neck was likely influenced by Gentileschi’s friend, mathematician and astronomer, Galileo Galilei. Judith Slaying Holofernes was initially deemed too gruesome to exhibit.
Despite her talent and experience, Gentileschi’s art was undervalued and underappreciated. Clients frequently tried to underpay her and, after her death, her works were misattributed either to her father or to other followers of Caravaggio. Like many late-Renaissance artists, Gentileschi was forgotten. It wasn’t until 1916, that Gentileschi was rediscovered, thanks to scholar Roberto Longhi and his wife Anna Banti.
Today, Gentileschi is considered a feminist icon. She was one of the only female artists of her time and her trial — in which she was forced to testify under torture — feels particularly relevant in the #MeToo era.
