Aesthetic Analysis Of A Painting: Judith Beheading Holofernes Essay Sample

Artemisia Gentileschi’s painting titled Judith Beheading Holofernes was known to be one of the most brutal and intense illustrations of the scene. At first glance, the masterpiece of Artemisia can be considered filled with cynicism. For a lot of people who saw the painting, the image is interpreted as a sort of payback for an evil done. The painting is a biblical story that produces a terrifying climax. However, as evidences show, the painting is all about sentimentality. Jamison, in her essay titled In Defense of Saccharin, she claims that people are easily enthused by basic surfaces of emotion or meaning and never examines the delineations of sentimentality. Rather, people tend to avoid sentimentality. Artemisia stays well within the frame of sentimentality by depicting in her painting different emotions and actions. Delving deeper into Artemisia’s life would also display the connection between the painting and the artist’s sentimentality.
Artemisia Gentileschi is a renowned European artist who acquired her skill in the art from her father, Orazio Gentileschi, a painter. One of the many inspirations of Artemisia is the work of art of Caravaggio which contrasts lighting, as well as violence. When Artemisia was still young, she was sexually abused by a man who happened to be the assistant artist of her father. Artemisia’s paintings are centered on suffering and strong women from Biblical and mythological stories. The paintings depict women victims, warriors, suicides and other forms of violence.
Artemisia’s painting shows Judith decapitating the head of Holofernes. The latter was the King of Nebuchadnezzar and was known for his brutality and cruelty. Judith’s intention of beheading Holofernes was to save the Jews. From the painting, Artemisia illustrated a furrowed brow that depicts intense focus on what the woman was doing. In addition, the forearms of Judith were painted as if appearing tensed. There was also blood that comes out from Holofernes’ neck. On the painting, the maid Abra is shown to be standing beside Judith in a position that seems to be preparing to catch the head when it separates from the neck. In the Old Testament, Abra is often overlooked. But in actuality, Abra was with Judith all the time and gives her moral support and courage. Holofernes, on the other hand, was painted with his strong and powerful muscles. His face appeared horrified. Such depiction of Holofernes’ face is indeed attention-grabbing. Judith slices the neck of Holofernes with a stern look, appearing as if she is merely carving the bread.
The colors used in the painting are mostly dark. However, the painting also suggests an even deeper meaning. Based on the artist’s past encounter, the painting could be an outlet for her frustrations and anger. This could be Artemisia’s form of revenge to the man who sexually abused her. The artwork portrays a realistic view of characters. It also highlights the body posture of the woman, thus, showing how strong of a character she is. The woman seems to show no fear as long as she gets her mission done. In the painting, Abra stands beside Judith. Judith has a sword in her right hand while Abra helps her position Holofernes’ head. The background of the painting is dark while the women’s dresses were highlighted using white color to outline the edges of their sleeves and collar. On Abra’s head, Artemisia chose to contrast white and dark color to emphasize the period when the decapitation happened. Moreover, the artist used white color for the bed sheet and white color to outline the sheet covering Holofernes’ body. The sheet is red in color and contrasted with black to emphasize the folds. The bed cover is also contrasted with a dark color to highlight the time setting. The artist incorporated red color on the cover to signify the blood gushing out from Holofernes’ neck. Light and dark colors were integrated to produce a more dramatic effect. Abra’s furrowed eyebrows show that she is exerting strength to pin down Holofernes and to give Judith an easier access to the man’s neck. The extended arms of Judith and her wrinkled brows also emphasize strength and anger.
The influence of Caravaggio in Artemisia’s painting suggests a dramatic subject. Judith symbolizes an expression of virtue and violence. Judith demonstrated ferocity as she concentrates on what appears to be the scream of Holofernes. The painting shows the track from life to death. As Holofernes’ eyes are depicted in an upturned manner, this indicates that he is no longer alive. Judith, on the other hand, was illustrated with a bare breast. Holofernes was shown naked on the bed with only the sheet covering his body. This suggests that both individuals must have participated in a sexual activity before the incident happened. The hand of Holofernes is still gripping the bed that suggests that he struggled. The painting showed rough details as well as realistic accuracy with which the terrifying beheading is executed.
Artemisia’s paintings suggest a biblical connotation and mainly characterized women. This kind of work deserves appreciation especially when taking into consideration that Artemisia was a renowned female artist and probably at that time, she already exhibited a robust sense of feminism. Sentimentality abounds the painting not only to show Artemisia’s sentiments over what happened to her in the past. Sentiments are also evident in the way Artemisia uplifts the standards of women’s character. Moreover, all of Artemisia’s paintings display the drama, revenge, and most of it promotes strong women who have the capacity to defend themselves and take revenge. Lastly, it seems that Artemisia’s paintings are mostly a depiction of her real life story.