With pleasure, I would like to introduce you to one of my favourite stories from the Old Testament (Apocrypha), the story of Judith beheading Holofernes. I shall begin by providing a background to this tale, and then proceed to research my two favourite paintings observing this study ; “Judith beheading Holofernes” by Caravaggio (1599) , and “Judith Slaying Holofernes” by Artemisia Gentllish (c. 1615-1620). I hope to provide some interesting thoughts around the subject, and great learning’s to take from the story and artists representations / outlook..
The Story of Judith and Holofernes is a story from the Apocrypha in the Old Testament, very much like the story of David and Goliath is a tale of the oppressed rising up and overcoming the oppressor, by “virtue conquering vice”. Bearing resemblance to the narrative of Salvation … Judith, whose name simply means “Jewish woman” is a glorious heroine who took violent action to save her people by beheading the Assyrian General “Holofernes”.
The engagement between Judith and Holofernes is central to the narrative of the Book of Judith, an historical account of the Assyrian aggression against the Jews. The Assyrian general Holofernes attacked and laid siege to the city of Bethulia, agitating an imminent surrender of its inhabitants. However , a wealthy widowed lady named Judith, hatched a plan.
That evening she dressed in her most beautiful garments, perfumed with glorious aroma, as she passed through the gate with her maid and voyaged to the generals camp. Under the guise that she would present Holofernes with information about the best way to breach the city of Bethulia. When she was granted to be of his presence, Judith said that the siege caused the Jews to turn away from their religion, therefore warranted their destruction. This being music to the ears of Holofernes, Judith was granted acceptance from the Assyrian General. An agreement was born that he would not harm her, and she would have the freedom to leave the camp at night for prayer. Judith stayed in the camp for three days eating only the food her maid prepared.
On the arrival of the fourth night, Holofernes laid on a banquet for his servants and he invited Judith, of whom he increasingly began to adore. Judith as she did on her first meet, arrived in her most beautiful clothes, and I imagine the most delightful aroma, (I burn and wear Jasmine Aroma, and I love it so much because it resonates with me this story… I always believe that dear Judith wore this also…. I SIT HERE BURNING IT NOW!!!). Holofernes in merriment and in the presence of his newly found flower, drank a huge amount, more than he had ever done so, to the point of unconsciousness. Everybody left the tent except Judith and Holofernes, alone with the drunken, unconscious general, Judith saw the opportunity to kill the Assyrian general. Praying to God for strength, she took hold of his sword, and in two strokes , cut off his head.
Judith’s maid waiting outside, entered with the food sack and put Holofernes’s head into it, following this the two women marched to the gate of Bethulia. At the gate she called for entry and presented the head of the Assyrian General, and told the men to advance an attack on the camp the very next morning. That morning the people of Bethulia mounted an attack, and when the Assyrians ran to the Generals tent to rouse him for battle, they discovered their prized leader headless. In horror the camp fled in fear as the Israelite’s plundered the camp.
I shall now proceed to look at my two favourite paintings of this story. Firstly I shall investigate Caravaggio’s “Judith Beheading Holofernes” (1599) and follow with Artemisia Gentileschi’s “Judith Slaying Holofernes” (c. 1615-20)
I have pleasure in introducing you to “Judith Beheading Holofernes” by Caravaggio (1599), arguably the most famous rendition of this story. Firstly I will introduce you to the Artist and then an analysis of the painting.
Of course to cover all the facets of the wonderful Caravaggio within a paragraph is rather an impossible task, however I shall attempt to provide a short introduction. In my later commentaries I shall be investigating Master Caravaggio in much greater detail, looking at him as a person, his techniques and tools to construct his treasured masterpieces.
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio of Milan, Lombardy (29 September 1571 – 18 July 1610) was an Italian Baroque Painter active between 1592 and 1610. In his younger years Caravaggio was trained under the guise of Simone Peterzano (Simone was an apprentice of Titian’s). In his early twenties Caravaggio moved to Rome, where the appeal for Great Religious paintings was of large demand (due to the surge of new churches being built in the period). With the success of his first commissions, the “Martyrdom of Saint Matthew” and the “Calling of Saint Matthew”, Caravaggio gained many patrons, which meant that he was never short of Commissions.
However , he managed his accomplishments poorly, he was sent to prison on many occasions, such reasons for his imprisonment ranged from vandalism, brawls and even killing a man (although unintentionally) leading to his flee from Rome to Malta. During my research, I have found the following account provides a view of “consensus” amongst Art Historians –
“after a fortnight’s work he will swagger about for a month or two with a sword at his side and a servant following him, from one ball-court to the next, ever ready to engage in a fight or an argument, so that it is most awkward to get along with him.”
According to Historical Accounts, Caravaggio was further involved in another brawl in Malta in 1606, and another in Naples in 1608, causing serious injury to himself.
Caravaggio’s paintings were of marvellous splendour, realistic observation of the human form and soul, magician of light in creating theatrical magnificence and the man who combined beauty and vulgarity in the most romantic of ways … His work broke with the Renaissance idea of beauty, instead of copying from conventional models, Caravaggio painted directly from life.
Caravaggio’s work did often offend the “decorum” by showing saints with dirty feet and a drowned Virgin Mary whose corpse had swollen in water. This is the very reason why I fall in love with the works of Caravaggio, the very nature of him and his break away from his contemporaries with a true observation of reality. In later commentaries I will explore these very masterpieces.
At the age of 38 Caravaggio died under “mysterious circumstances” in Porto Ercole of Tuscany, the cause of death is reckoned to be of fever whilst he was on his journey to Rome to receive a Pardon.
I must now refrain myself from exploring the marvellous works of Caravaggio and his intriguing character further in this commentary, there is so much more to explore. As I say , much more background and analysis of his method and paintings will be observed in future writings.
I shall proceed to analyse this painting in detail, firstly I will begin with the 3 Characters involved, Judith, Holofernes, and finally Judith’s maid.
A shine to Judith, Judith’s features betray neither triumph nor passion, but determined without fear, and the power of God in her eyes. She almost looks calm as she slays the defenceless man whilst keeping a great distance between herself and the oppressor. She does not demure the magnificent Baroque gown, like the Judith represented by Christofano Allori, but instead in the best clothes of a “women of the people”.
Judith is young and beautiful with red rosey cheeks, which makes the painting ever so intriguing and beautiful. Judith is small, and in comparison to the strong battle scared Assyrian general looks physically weak. However she like David against Goliath was able to overcome the oppressor with great determination. This is what I love so marvellously with this painting, the beautiful delicate Judith amidst the blood spools from Holofernes’s throat… beauty and brutality combined. This leads to my reflection that, power is not simply of a physical nature but a mental, spiritual one, we do not know how strong a person is from simply what we see, maybe more apt of what we hear.
One observation I do make , you may agree or disagree but the sword in Judith’s hand looks far too small for Holofernes but more suitably sized for Judith. Maybe this is a metaphor of the shift of power from Holofernes to Judith in overcoming the oppressor.
Now I shall shift my gaze upon the Assyrian General Holofernes, some say that Holofernes’s screaming, suffering face may have in fact been a self portrait of Caravaggio himself. Letting him act out a fantasy of himself as the victim of brutal violence. In this painting Holofernes represents a strong, muscular battle born General, a powerful oppressor. Caravaggio has painted the very moment that he is beheaded; the victim is still alive with his head half severed. It is a brutal scene, of great violence, his eyes half way upon the journey of death, bulbous full of mortal fear and confusion. His mouth gaped a wide, breathing his last breath with wailing screams, Caravaggio sought to capture the moment with shock and horror. A frame of direct attention is the blood spouting from Holofernes’s throat from the immediate impact of the sword, the colour red is incredibly bright against the stained sheets and dark background.
The third and final character depicted in this painting is of Judith’s maid. She awaits with food blanket in hand readying for the fall of Holofernes’s head, tightly clenched with sheer determination drawn upon her face. She looks almost Manic, with no fear but instead anger for the oppressors ills against her people. She is an old, laboured lady offering a contrast to the peachy skin of Caravaggio’s heroine, Judith.
As I have mentioned, Caravaggio’s use of light and colour has always been an attraction for me, and a point of reflection, I shall now provide an analysis of the colours used in this painting and what this represents for me. Of course, the colours may conjure different thoughts and emotions for you.
When I think of this painting, I immediately think of the colour red, specifically the drooping curtain over-hanging the full landscape of the scene, and the flooding blood from the throat of Holofernes. The colour red fully encapsulates the context of the story, the “Art of Seduction” , she dressed in her finest garments and perfume to attract his attention, physically but also mentally through details of breaching the walls of Bethulia. For me , the metaphor of the red curtain massing the full landscape of the painting represents this very nature of the story. You, the reader may of course have different thoughts and views.
The other colours used in this painting , are soft, and quiet, directing you to the dresses of Judith and her maid (as I mentioned earlier , wearing the clothes of the people, not overly grand) and the bed linen upon which Holofernes sleeps. Different shades of light and dark brown, yellows, dirty whites. This for me brings the attention of the viewer to the bright reds and the beating heart of the painting. Caravaggio wanted us to taste the blood from the throat of Holofernes, he did all he could to direct us to the violent elements of this painting, from the Angelic light of Judith to the brutal decapitation of Holofernes.
I shall now turn my attention to the wonderful and most skilled painters of the Baroque era , Artemisia Gentileschi. Among the very first women artists to achieve success in the 17th Century, she bought such glorious drama and theatre to her paintings. The sensational painting of “Judith Slaying Holofernes” stands out so virtuously at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. I shall provide you now with a brief background to the Artist, then I shall explore her valiant beautiful painting.
Artemisia born July 8, 1593, and died circa 1656, the daughter of painter Orazio Gentileschi, she trained in her father’s workshop, completing her first painting when she was 17 years of age (“Susanna and the Elders”). Her paintings were inspired by her father and the great Caravaggio (in this very picture, you can see obvious influence), she focused on powerful heroines, capturing their vulnerability and strength in great theatrical depth. Her most famous painting, “Judith Slaying Holofernes” is said to be attributed to events in Gentileschi’s own life.
At the age of 18, she was raped by one of her Fathers colleagues, his name was Agostino Tassi, he was convicted a year later. Artemisia was tortured to abort her testimony and the case, resulting in Tassi never being imprisoned. The ferocity of her painting “Judith Slaying Holofernes” is said to be a metaphor of revenge for her rape.
Because of the nature of this painting, I find it more useful, rather than analysing the individual characters separately that I instead look at them as a whole. The reason why , is because of the closeness of all of the characters, and a clear direction of the characters to the central image of Judith slaying Holofernes. Caravaggio’s painting, is much more spread and landscape orientated, bringing about a more “separated” way of analysing the painting. Judith and her maid seem as though they are the same person, a much greater force. The maid is young and strong, also I’m not too sure if you may agree, but both Judith and her maid look identical, and more interestingly very similar to a self portrait of Artemisia. A representation of two of her, in the overcoming of the oppressor (Agostino Tassi?).
The painting is tremendously violent, just looking at the spraying blood from Holofernes’s neck against the stained bed linen. Cross referencing this with Caravaggio’s rendition, Judith and her maid look much stronger in Artemisia’s painting, both of them are applying great force down upon the blade. Rolling up their sleeves to commit the act, along with other elements discussed, in my view provides a much more raucous, and violent representation of the story. Possibly, going back to her rape at the age of 18, driving a much more violent depiction; Mary Garrard the author of Gentileschi’s autobiography shared the view that the painting represented “a cathartic expression of the artist’s private, and perhaps repressed, rage”.
If you look at the direction of Judith’s and her maids arms, including Holofernes’s body position, all is directed towards the head of Holofernes. His head further seems detached from his body, further implying the narrative of the story. The naturalism of this painting is so vivid, this was typical of the Baroque period, however Artemisia’s painting goes beyond what we have seen before.
Returning to the comparison between Caravaggio’s and Artemisia’s rendition of Judith and Holofernes, the colours are similarly dulcet and smooth. Artemisia does not attack the painting with such vigorous reds as Caravaggio does, but she uses it in a much darker, dirtier tone. She also uses darkness to dissipate the background and uses light to bring forward the characters of the painting, resulting in force and focus to it. Also communicating the nature of the story, that they are in fact intruders and needed to be hidden from view (same for both paintings). Artemisia follows this painting with a further one depicting the moments after the slaying of Holofernes, you can see this below. I will not analyse this piece now, but at a later date I will look in great detail at it. It is another marvellous painting with hidden symbols, which will be a pleasure to write about. For example, the candle is a metaphor of Caravaggio, have a think why this may be the case?
I shall now bring this to a close, I must say I did not intend for this commentary to go on for so long. This is one of my favourite stories, and the most interesting thing of all, is that I have yet to fully understand why this is the case.
Something so vivid and strong for me , is the colour Red and so represents this very story, I do believe Caravaggio’s painting was of consequence to this. When I think of this colour it reminds me of Love (outside of the narrative), the red rosey cheeks of Judith, and also, maybe strangely the act of slaying Holofernes (possibly the blood). Of course leading perfectly to the “Art of Seduction” metaphorically, killing through love.
The narrative and the paintings discussed are violent, yet beautiful, a petite lady Judith can overcome anything put in front of her through great determination. To know that however difficult a circumstance is, it can always be overcome…. maybe we need a helping hand (maid), to seek help and work well together to overcome great challenges. Physical strength is not an order of power, but simply one of many elements to it, mental will power, kind soul , determination… Overcoming such Oppressors can be achieved (sometimes with support), as Judith did to Holofernes and David over Goliath.
Thank you so much indeed folks. Have a merry day . Love and Kind Regards, Ollie
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