Gentileschi's Judith Slaying Holofernes

In Judith Slaying Holofernes, Gentileschi portrays a multitude of different elements and ideas. The painting depicts a woman decapitating a man who is laying in a bed. The picture conveys themes attributed to intense violence due to the position of the women, helplessness is portrayed in Holofernes because of the blood and his body’s position, and hints of feminism are expressed due to the strong female character. The oil medium creates a saturated and vibrant picture. Judith is positioned in a very dominate way which gives her a violent aura. The black background is something is common amongst many baroque era paintings and helps make a focal point standout or to make something look more fictional. The painting reflects a story from the old testament in which, Judith kills a man who was planning on taking over her town. This piece is unique because female characters preforming violent deeds was very uncommon subject matter. It is not often that one sees a religious panting of a woman beheading a man in an aggressive way. However, it is not only the act itself that makes this piece so intense. For example, Judith and the other woman are gazing down upon the dying man with a glare. Judith’s hand position is especially violent as one hand is pinning Holofernes’ head down

Gentileschi was in the minority being a female artist during this time and her material expresses her viewpoint on how women should be seen. In this piece, it would seem she is trying to portray women overcoming men in society. The passion that is expressed by the women’s movements is clear. They are working together to overcome Holofernes which displays unity within the piece. It is also an interesting design choice that the women are wielding a sword which is not a convention thing for them to do in this era. The feminist type of elemnts in this piece help distinguish it from the original tale that was told by the old