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Judith and her Handmaid

This paper will be on the painting Judith and her Handmaid with the Head of
Holofernes (Detroit Institute of Art). Painted by Artemisia Gentileschi in 1625, the painting depicts the story of Judith, who beheads Holofernes while he is passed out because he is about to destroy her home. Gentileschi paints Judith and her handmaiden in the moment after the beheading, stashing Holoferne’s head in a sack. I selected this work because of Gentileschi being a popular female artist, and being a female myself, there is importance in having female representation in a profession that has historically been predominantly male. Not only is Gentileschi a notable female artist, she is known for depicting female figures, especially ones in biblical stories as heroic, strong and realistic figures. This is visible from the softness of skin, to the clear knowledge of female anatomy depicted in detail, to the emphasis of strength and suffering or former suffering. This would interest someone who wants to know more about seventeenth century culture because of the notion of Pictorial Reform, when the Catholic Church wanted religious art to be simple, and to have a clear story or meaning. We can draw conclusions that Gentileschi uses a combination of the elements of light and dark, lines and shape to put a clear and easy to follow focus on the biblical story, strength and heroism of Judith.

Description and Formal Analysis.
Judith and her Maidservant with the Head of Holofernes is large oil on canvas by Italian artist, Artemisia Gentileschi. Although the work’s dimensions aren’t listed on the card, this work is of life size with an estimated measurement of 6 by 4.5 feet. The painting surrounded by a gold frame that ha...

... middle of paper ...

...d in both Reni and Gentileschi is idealization of the figures and how they are depicted as young and beautiful. There is a lack of accuracy in the storyline of Reni’s work, while in Gentileschi, the alertness of Judith seen by her hand gesture and her head turned away. The storyline in Gentileschi’s piece is also easy to follow because of the focus on the gestures of Judith and the Handmaid through the presence of light and dark shading. While in Reni’s the composition as a whole lacks a clear focus in the story line because of the monkeys, the cupids, and the extra figures added to the painting that possibly couldn’t have been present in the story. While, Gentileschi uses the combination of light and dark and shapes and lines in the composition of her painting to focus us in on the story, and the main character and how she is depicted in the story, as a heroine.

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