Baroque Period
Judith Slaying Holofernes by Artemisia Gentileschi
Artemisia Gentileschi's Life
Artemisia Gentileschi was born in Rome, Italy on July 8,1593. Her father, Orazio, was an accomplished painter and responsible for her artistic training. (Biography). When Gentileschi was seventeen years old, she was raped by her father's business partner, Agostino Tassi. Tassi was an artistic mentor to Gentileschi and close friend of her fathers (Camara). This abhorrent attack gave Artemisia the determination that she used to successfully break into the art world dominated by men. She used her experience to shape her paintings and express emotions on a deeper level by often depicting female heroes in her work in a realistic empowering way.
Impression
Gentileschi is the epitome of Baroque art. As the Renaissance period saw the Protestant Reformation in Europe, the Baroque was a direct response from the Catholic church to counter that reformation. The Council of Trent was formed as part of the counter-reformation and hired artists to depict Biblical scenes that incited religious fervor (McKay). They remind the viewer of the triumph of good over evil. Gentileschi painted Judith, a woman from the Book of Judith included only in the Catholic Bible. Judith was a Jewish widow from the town of Bethulia that murdered the General of the Assyrian Army that was invading her city. Judith infiltrated the enemy's camp by wearing her finest clothing and claiming to be a traitor with information that would assist the General. Judith was invited in by the General Holofernes who proceeded to drink in excess in her company. Judith took this opportunity to murder the Holofernes and free the people of her city (Camara). This moment in time captured by Artemisia is a shocking scene for the viewer as it shows an intense realism of blood splattering and draining down the bed while the blade is still in Judith's hands as she is decapitating the General with the assistance of her servant. In the Biblical sense, this story is a reminder that the good and faithful will triumph over evil. But for Artemisia, I believe this was a way of channeling her own tragedy and restoring her own power as a woman. Gentileschi transforms Judith into a real person by giving her a full shape, giving her arms long straight lines that represent her strength she is using to slice off Holofernes' head. Her face is determined and confident. The sleeves of her gown are pushed up her arms and reveal a bracelet. The bracelet depicts Artemis, Goddess of Chastity and Hunt (Camara). Another female who represents strength and pureness. The use of tenebrism shadows the backdrop of the scene while illuminating the subjects themselves. Gentileschi also made use of the popular diagonal lines using the limbs of the subjects to draw the eye to where the lines meet, at the bloody head of the Holofernes. This story was commonly depicted in Baroque art; however, it is Artemisia Gentileschi's version that is most well-known. This is because she brings you into a shocking vivid scene that highlights Judith as a strong realistic woman who was determined to be victorious despite the odds against her.
Works Cited
Biography.com Editors. “Artemisia Gentileschi Biography.” Biography.Com, 26 Aug. 2019, www.biography.com/artists/artemisia-gentileschi.
Camara, Dr. Esperança. “Artemisia Gentileschi, Judith Slaying Holofernes.” Smarthistory, 19 July 2015, smarthistory.org/gentileschi-judith-slaying-holofernes/.
McKay, Brett & Kate. “The Basics of Art: The Baroque Period.” The Art of Manliness, 25 Sept. 2021, www.artofmanliness.com/character/knowledge-of-men/the-basics-of-art-the-baroque-period/.
This is a beautiful piece. You can see and feel the emotions of the characters. There are great details in the motif and texture of the clothes and sheets. It is a vivid and violent scene, which is why I wouldn't personally display a copy of it, but I think it is still a great piece that represents well the Baroque era of painting.
ReplyDeleteI also used the painting Judith Slaying Holofernes by Artemisia Gentileschi for my blog post on the Baroque Period. Lesasfineart. You do a great job on your analysis but you need one very critical element about this painting. You mentioned that “Gentileschi transforms Judith into a real person..” but the model used is a real person. Artemisia paints herself as Judith. That, to me, is what makes this painting even more empowering and emotional.
ReplyDeletehttps://artsandculture.google.com/story/artemisia-putting-herself-in-the-picture-the-national-gallery-london/yQWR1oZDyqFYSQ?hl=en
https://www.exploringart.co/gentileschi-judith-beheading-holofernes/
This painting feels like it almost conveys moreso the emotions of the artist than the story its presenting. I checked out the info given in Lesa's comment and it adds even further to the emotional depth of the piece. It presents Judith as Gentileschi herself, using her art to subvert and defeat her opponents.
ReplyDeleteThis painting has a lot of appeal to me because it shows how the woman are taking out their anger on this man for raping their daughter. I like how you show how a woman who goes through tragedy and works hard to become one of the best female artist of her time. I would own one her painting because of the detail that she puts into her painting with the line and shadowing it is almost in seeing this attack in real life.
ReplyDeleteI’ve seen this piece while researching the Baroque period but the details were too scary for me. The artist mentor, Tassi, was a mentor for Claude Lorrain (The artist of the art I chose) too! It’s upsetting what he did to Gentileschi and the only way she was able to express her emotions and real thoughts were through her art.
ReplyDelete