Jan
30
Artemisia Gentileschi - Judith Slaying Holofernes
In her depiction of the Assyrian General Holofernes being beheaded by Judith and her Maidservant, Gentileschi evokes an extremely physical painting. From the wild spurts of blood on the sheets, the strained pose of the women, and Holofernes’s over-sized hand grasping Judith’s Maidservant by the neck, the painting is brutal and also, extremely personal. Gentileschi painted herself as Judith, and as the slain Holofernes, was Agostino Tassi, her mentor who was tried and found guilty of her rape.