Exhibition Piece 4

Artemisia Gentileschi, Judith Slaying Holofernes – Smarthistory 

Artemisia Gentileschi, Judith Slaying Holofernes, 1620-21, oil on canvas, 162.5 x 199 cm (Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Italy)

Here we have a Gentileschi oil painting on canvas. It is 199 cm x 162.9 cm. The artists, Gentileschi, did an extraordinary job with this painting. Just by looking at it you can feel the emotion and intensity just vibrating off the canvas. The color scheme is dark and mysterious. There are various shades of ochre, yellow, and tan. Then there is a nice contrast of wine reds and shades mahogany colors. The background is very dim and dark, which makes the viewer value the foreground. Now to address the elephant in the room. This piece is very violent. Its title is literally “Judith Slaying Holofernes.” In this image there are two women and one man. The one woman on the left is wearing a wrapping around her head, and she appears to be holding down the man, which would be Holofernes. Next to this woman is another woman. She has a stern look on her face and she is shoving a knife through Holofernes neck. One of her hands is on the knife, the other is on his head. Holofernes, who doesn’t seem to be enjoying himself, is laying on a bed with cloth sheets. He is holding his arms up to the woman holding him down. My guess is he is struggling and is trying to defend himself. There is crimson blood spewing from his neck, and it is dripping down the sheets he is laying on. Gentileschi did an amazing job with body language and the use of colors. The body language shows the struggling Holofernes and the stern Judith, and the colors evoke the emotion. This piece is very intense and really brings an intense aura. 

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