Baroque paintings always have an incredible sense of drama to them, and Artemisia Gentileschi’s painting Judith Beheading Holofernes is no exception. As such a violent scene, the painting is a shock to look at, but so incredible it is almost impossible to look away. Gentileschi’s painting is incredibly vibrant and realistic.
Artemisia Gentileschi’s Judith Slaying Holofernes is an oil on canvas painting done between 1614 and 1620. The painting is an interpretation of the story of Judith and Holofernes from the Bible’s Book of Judith. In the story Holofernes is the general of the Assyrian army that has taken over the Jewish city Bethulia, and Judith is a young widow who can’t stand to see her people going through such a struggle. So, she dresses
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herself up and enters the Assyrian camp, where Holofernes sees her and is stupefied by her beauty. An intoxicated Holofernes invites Judith back to his tent and, seeing her best opportunity, Judith goes with him and she and her maidservant behead him, as seen in the painting (Camara). Gentileschi’s use of light and color is what makes the painting so striking.
The image of Judith and her maidservant beheading Holofernes is spotlighted with a complete wall of shadow behind them. The utter darkness behind the characters adds to the brightness of the scene, emphasizing the brightness of Judith’s dress and the sheen of Holofernes’ blood. The rich coloring of the painting is incredible as well, making such a horrific scene beautiful. Gentileschi also uses line in a way that lends to the intensity of the scene. The tension in each of the characters’ bodies is notable, it is clear in the way Judith and her maidservant lean in to their murderous act and the way Holofernes is pushing them away and straining futilely away from the …show more content…
blade. Gentileschi’s Judith Beheading Holofernes is not the first painting depicting this story, or even the first the Gentileschi herself did.
Caravaggio, a great inspiration of Gentileschi’s, painted the scene as well. Caravaggio’s Judith beheading Holofernes from 1598-99 displays the same brightness and realism shown in Gentileschi’s version. Both versions of the scene show the visceral expression on Holofernes’ face in his final moment and the spray of his blood seems all too real in both paintings. One major difference in the two paintings, however, is the role of Judith’s maidservant; Caravaggio imagined her as an elderly woman standing behind Judith and encouraging her in the moment, whereas Gentileschi shows a younger version of the woman taking an active role in the act, as she holds Holofernes down for Judith. Another important difference is the action of the two paintings, where Caravaggio’s Judith is leaning away from Holofernes even as she kills him, Gentileschi’s version is leaning in to the act almost eagerly and even her version of Holofernes takes a more active role in the scene as he fights against his attackers
(Camara). Artemisia Gentileschi was known for her depictions of heroic women in her work and Judith Beheading Holofernes did not disappoint. Judith’s story most likely had an incredible impact on Gentileschi personally, inspiring the painting. After she was raped by a friend of her father’s and betrayed by her chaperone, doing this painting must have served as a sort of outlet for all of her feelings stemming from that trauma. As a woman who took matters into her own hands to save a whole city, Judith is an obvious choice for Gentileschi’s work. It is unknown if the piece was commissioned by the Medici family or just gifted to them, but upon seeing the painting the Medici duchess had it removed out of sight to a corner of the Uffizi (Camara). Artemisia Gentileschi portrayed Judith’s story beautifully. The painting is infused with feeling and the tension of the moment can be felt so clearly through Gentileschi’s incredible work. It has a deeply personal feel to it that makes it difficult to look at it and not be moved somehow.
At the top of the artwork the upper part of the cross extends beyond the altarpiece. The edge of John the Evangelist’s red robe on the left of the altarpiece and the edge of Mary Magdalene’s pale blue skirt on the right are cut off when the panel ends, giving the viewer the feeling that, rather than looking in on the scene, the viewer is actually taking part in the scene. This, added to the empathy invoked through the delicate, heart-wrenching rendering of the figures in the artwork, let the observer directly interact with the painting and places him/her within the narrative.
I had never heard of the artist Artemisia Gentileschi before this introductory Art course. Of all the paintings and sculptures found within the book, it was her work that stood out and spoke to me. "Judith and Maidservant with the head of Holofernes" is a particularly rich oil painting by the Italian Gentileschi, painted circa 1625 Europe. Her large canvas measures 72 and 1/2 inches by 55 and 3/4 inches and began as a biblical story telling inspiration come to life within the oil. Located at the Detroit Institute of Arts, the painting was a gift to the institute from Art collector Mr. Leslie H. Green in 1952. Artemisia was the daughter of a painter (and caravaggio influenced) Orazio Gentileschi, she was also the wife of little known artist Pierantonio Stiattesi. Artemisia had four sons and one daughter during her marriage. A student of the Chiaroscuro technique and during a time when women were not believed capable of painting competitively and intelligently as the men of the day. Artemisia proved them wrong with stunning work and artistry over her artistic career.
This painting consists of regular lines as well as implied lines. Some of the regular lines that have been included are flowing, curved lines, such as the Earth that the woman is sitting on top of. Additionally, the background is made of small scenes that have been outlined by a dotted line, which places emphasis on the scenes. Besides regular and visible lines, there are a few implied lines in this painting. For instance, the woman's eyes are looking forward, so there is an implied line to the audience. Additionally, another implied line would be the woman's right arm, which is pointed towards her headpiece, while her left arm is pointed towards the earth. Nonetheless, this painting is not intense; although it does have splashes of color, this painting does not have a bright saturation. Instead, this painting is slightly dull, which makes this painting appear vintage. Additionally, since this background is a dark color, it makes the rest of painting, especially the headpiece, stand out. Besides colors and lines, even though this is a painting and there is no physical texture, there is invented texture. Upon viewing this painting, underneath the earth where the woman is sitting on, there are roots as well as grass, which give texture and feeling to the painting. In the end, this painting consists of several elements of composition, which Heffernan has done a wonderful job
The painting is organized simply. The background of the painting is painted in an Impressionist style. The blurring of edges, however, starkly contrasts with the sharp and hard contours of the figure in the foreground. The female figure is very sharp and clear compared to the background. The background paint is thick compared to the thin lines used to paint the figures in the foreground. The thick paint adds to the reduction of detail for the background. The colors used to paint the foreground figures are vibrant, as opposed to the whitened colors of the Impressionist background. The painting is mostly comprised of cool colors but there is a range of dark and light colors. The light colors are predominantly in the background and the darker colors are in the foreground. The vivid color of the robe contrasts with the muted colors of the background, resulting in an emphasis of the robe color. This emphasis leads the viewer's gaze to the focal part of the painting: the figures in the foreground. The female and baby in the foreground take up most of the canvas. The background was not painted as the artist saw it, but rather the impression t...
Artemisia Gentileschi (1593-1654?) was one of the most important women artists before the modern period and certainly one of the most famous female painters from the seventeenth century. Gentileschi’s paintings regularly featured women as the protagonists acting in a manner equal to men. In fact, forty nine of her paintings fall into this category. She was raped at the age of 18 and the subsequent events lent her a certain amount of notoriety. These factors have led many to interpret her artwork as an expression of her role as a female victim looking for revenge through her art. Instead, a closer examination of Gentileschi’s life and her artwork exposes the artist as an individual with personal strength and incredible talent who painted subjects similar to or the same as those of her male counterparts, instead of staying within the guiding principles of what was acceptable “feminine” art.
The subject of Gentileschi's Judith and Maidservant with the Head of Holofernes uses tenebrism that makes use for the large areas of dark contrasting with the smaller bright areas of the painting. This painting is very dramatic considering multiple areas of darkness, such as the deep shadows. Judith could be holding out her hand to cover the light from her face to take a glimpse to see if anyone’s approaching them. She seems to be vigilant and she could also be stopping someone from
Gentileschi’s Judith Slaying Holofernes epitomizes the style of artwork during the Italian Baroque era. By using a Catholic subject and key elements and techniques essential to baroque art such as chiaroscuro and foreshortening, she was able to create a piece that gushes drama and realism. Without the use of all of these elements the effect would be lost, but instead the piece is one that moves the viewer with its direct and gritty realism of the religious subject, evoking emotion in a way that leaves the viewer in awe.
Jacopo del Sellaio’s Virgin, Child, and St. John is a characteristically iconographic tempera panel painting of Madonna, the Christ Child, and the infant St. John from the early renaissance, dating to the early 1480s. Sellaio was a Florentine painter under the apprenticeship of Sandro Botticelli, which reflects through his style and symbolism in the painting. In this work, he depicts a classically devotional scene filled with biblical symbolism. Sellaio’s Virgin, Child, and St. John expresses Mary’s loving role as Christ’s mother, the protective power and warmth of her maternal bond, and the significance of the birth of Christ.
The ability to create a picture of The Annunciation in one’s mind is a key factor in understanding the analysis of the work. Francisco de Zurbaran approaches the painting with a naturalistic style. The painting features a room in which a woman – like angel is seen at the left kneeling on the ground before the Virgin Mary. The figure of Mary is placed between a chair and a small wooden table draped with a green cloth. Mary disregards an open Bible on the table, as she appears solemn while staring at the floor. Floating above the two main figures in the upper left side of the painting are cherubs resting on a bed of clouds. They happily gaze down at Mary with eyes from Heaven.
The composition of this painting forces the eye to the woman, and specifically to her face. Although the white wedding dress is large and takes up most of the woman’s figure, the white contrasts with her face and dark hair, forcing the viewer to look more closely into the woman’s face. She smokes a cigarette and rests her chin on her hands. She does not appear to be a very young woman and her eyes are cast down and seem sad. In general, her face appears to show a sense of disillusionment with life and specifically with her own life. Although this is apparently her wedding day, she does not seem to be happy.
Looking across the entire triptych certain visual elements can be seen. Lighting is carefully used to highlight many important details in the painting; the dramatic facial expressions of many of the people in this scene are clearly lighted and defined to illustrate the emotions felt by the witnesses. In the left panel of The Raising of the Cross, among the mourners appear to be St. John, another man that seems to be consoling St. John, Elizabeth (the mother of John the Baptist), St. Mary (the mother of Jesus) and Mary Magdalene (hoocher.com). One of the mourners is actually looking directly at the viewer with a very distraught expression on her face. The mourner that I suspect is St. John in the back appears to be almost nauseous and his face is surrounded by darkness and is subordinate and his face is being emphasized. Also, the rocky background is subordin...
While the Flemish were proficient in oil painting, Italian Renaissance artists continued their predecessor’s use of tempera. Furthermore, the paintings were ultimately created for different purposes and separate viewers. Although both works are centered on the defining moment of the annunciation, The Merode Altarpiece incorporates this scene into a secular setting, therefore differing from Fra Angelico’s The Annunciation which was painted for a monastery. Finally, Flemish and Italian Renaissance paintings differ in levels of realism. Although the Flemish painters were skilled in portraying realism of physical forms, they lacked a full understanding of linear perspective. In contrast, the Italian Renaissance artists were well versed in linear perspective but lacked a complete grasp of the natural
A common topic of artwork throughout history has been the crucifixion of Christ. Since it is such a common topic, it makes it very easy to see how artwork changed and developed from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance. The painting on the left, The Crucifixion by Pietro Lorenzetti, shows the usual characteristics of a painting from the Middle Ages. The facial expressions are not varied or very in depth, Jesus and the other saints have the typical halo that is used very often, and the colors are mostly all bright, making nothing in particular stand out. The second painting, on the right, is by Caravaggio and is titled The Flagellation of Christ. There is an obvious shift from one painting to the next. Caravaggio’s piece is much more realistic.
Lawrence’s style is also shown here with the simplified human figures amid abstract forms in bold colors. The diagonal lines draw attention to the door and windows at the top of the painting. The forms in the painting appear flat, angular and two dimensional with the exception of the tombstones drawing more attention to them. The painting contains religious and symbolic references to the cycle of life. There is a woman holding a baby reminiscent of a Madonna and child as well as the tombstones depicting death.
I chose “The Martyrdom of St. Matthew” as the painting that best illustrates the baroque period. The reasons surrounding my decision are clear in Caravaggio’s painting. Here Caravaggio uses the entire canvas to illustrate complexity, flow, and chiaroscuro. The painting depicts the source of lighting to be coming from the left side of the plane. The brightest light focuses directly on Matthew’s executioner who intends to strike Matthew with an old balcanic hand weapon. Caravaggio masterfully illustrates the use of lighting by casting believable shadows. As an example, the shadow of the handle on balcanic hand weapon reflects on the executioner’s left thigh and knee. Another shadow appears on the executioner’s right inner thigh. The lighting source to the left of the executioner, the executioner, St. Matthews, the boy, the 2 observer’s bottom, right, and the fainter lighting upper left of the canvas illustrates the technique of visual movement. The lighting is placed strategically, causing visual movement within the piece. For example, the illumination of the executioner’s forearm directs my attention to the angel who appears to be handing St. Matthew a palm leaf. As a result, my eyes then focuses on the body of St. Matthew, lying on the bottom of the altar, then my eyes shifts up toward the Angle’s arm. The lighting on the angel's arm contrasted with the darkness of the palm leaf forces the viewer to look at the hand to see what St. Matthew is reaching for. The boy fleeing the scene further draws in the viewer. The two adult observers at the bottom right of the painting are illuminated but not as bright as the two main characters. Next, my attention is drawn to the man lying on the bottom steps, left side of the canv...