Art Throb #7: Judith Beheading Holofernes by Artemisia Gentileschi

Judith Beheading Holofernes (1614-20) by Artemisia Gentileschi

Oil on canvas, 199 x 162 cm, Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

In the Book of Judith (included in the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox versions of the Bible, but not the Protestant and Jewish), Holofernes (Assyrian) is one of the generals of Nebuchadnezzar. Frustrated with her fellow Israelites' lack of faith in God, Judith infiltrates Holofernes' camp promising intelligence on the Israelites. Gaining his trust, she is granted access into his tent one night as he lay in a drunken stupor. With the help of her maid, Judith decapitates Holofernes and takes his head to reassure her fellow Israelites. Having lost their leader, the Assyrians disperse and Israel is saved. (Information paraphrased from Wikipedia).

Depicting the moment of Holofernes' murder in all its disturbing, graphic bloodthirstiness, this painting is one of many created by the artist portraying strong and defiant Biblical females. Typical of the Italian baroque/mannerist style and showcasing a startling contrast of luminous flesh against a dark backgound (an opportunity for the artist to demonstrate their mastery of chiaroscuro), in addition to fabric textures, character expressions, proportion and perspective, it was completed in 1620 when the artist would have been about 27. And the artist was a woman.

Although by no means the only female artist of the period – other 16/ 17th Century painters include Sofonisba Anguissola, Lavinia Fontana and Fede Galizia, all of whom were regarded as artistic curiosities on account of their sex until fairly recently – Gentileschi stands out not only as one of the foremost artists of her generation, but of all time, thanks in part to the painting above. Its violent subject matter hardly strikes one as stereotypically 'feminine'. But these are not sterotypical women. Dominant, with a powerful physicality signified by thick arms and fleshy bodies, they are as strong as any man, and not afraid to shed blood for a holy cause. Spurting and squirting out in delicate feathery whisps, reminiscent of a ritual sacrifice, draining the body of life and drenching the bed sheets (and suggestive of detailed anatomical study), blood is also evoked in the velvet drapery which Holofernes is wrapped in. His velvet bedspread is suggestive of copious bloodshed, while the sword's cross shape is central to the painting. As Holofernes struggles, the facial expressions of Judith on the right and of her maid show their determination to see the deed of holy murder through.

One of the paintings we saw on our art-saturated tour of Italy in 2009, Judith Beheading Holofernes hangs alongside the greats of renaissance art in the Uffizi in Florence, easily deserving a prominant place in art history. With its characteristic tangle of bodies, Biblical figures represented as contemporary Italians set against a dark background, it may well be mistaken for a Caravaggio (in fact, it's better than Caravaggio's version), revealing the artist's inspiration and influence, and ability to surpass.

While illustrating an ancient story, this painting has an arresting immediacy, retaining its capacity to shock and disturb. It continues to resonate, particularly in the light of recent middle-eastern events, where blood shed in the pursuit of power remains an almost daily element of the world news headlines.