Judith and the Head of Holofernes - Art History's Recurring Icon of Female Rage

One of the earliest depictions of Judith beheading the Holofernes was made by Sandro Botticelli between 1495 and 1500 as oil and tempera on a small panel. Although this is definitely not one of the artist's finest portraits, it is still quite captivating.

Featured image: Botticelli - Judith with the Head of Holofernes, ca. 1470. Tempera on panel, 36,5 cm x 20 cm. Cincinnati Art Museum. Image via Creative Commons.

Unlike Botticelli's fully clothed Judith, the one painted by Jan Sanders van Hemessen is fully naked. This Renaissance artist did a portrait of the heroin in a state of specific pleasure as she proudly held her sword right after decapitating Holofernes. Van Hemessen was a leading proponent of a style that was popular in the Netherlands in the first half of the 16th century that relied much on the monumental character of classical sculpture.

Featured image: Jans Sanders van Hemessen - Judith with the Head of Holophernes, between circa 1535 and circa 1540. Oil on panel, 39 × 30 3/8 in. (99.1 × 77.2 cm). Image via Creative Commons. Image courtesy Art Institute of Chicago.

Another relevant figure from the same period, the Italian scholar, architect, and painter, Giorgio Vasari, also interpreted the mythic subject in his own right. Known for the way he favored beauty rather than pictorial realism, Vasari paid close attention to the exaggerated musculature of his figures while depicting Judith from behind. This particular perspective allowed him to underline the drama of the scene. Vasari based the composition of his painting on the basis of Michelangelo's interpretation found in the Sistine Chapel ceiling.

Featured image: Giorgio Vasari - Judith and Holofernes, circa 1554. Oil on panel, height: 108 cm (42.5 in); width: 79.7 cm (31.3 in). Saint Louise Art Museum collection. Image via Creative Commons. 

Between 1598 and 1599, one of the most celebrated practitioners of Baroque, Caravaggio, painted Judith Beheading Holofernes. This particular interpretation centers on the moment of decapitation; the painting features Judith, helped by her maidservant Abra, beheading the general. It was rediscovered in 1950, and it somehow informed the canon of representing the subject matter. Another version featuring the subject, dated 1607, was attributed by a few experts to Caravaggio but still disputed by others.

Featured image: Caravaggio - Judith Beheading Holofernes, c. 1598–1599. Oil on canvas, 145 cm × 195 cm (57 in × 77 in). Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica at Palazzo Barberini, Rome. Image via Creative Commons.

Titled Judith Slaying Holofernes, this painting was done in a similar manner as Caravaggio by a stunning female artist, Artemisia Gentileschi, between 1612-13. This version was of particular interest to the 1970s feminists, who saw it as the artist's personal attempt to deal with the patriarchy in Italian society. Gentileschi produced another version of the same theme between 1613 and 1621, which is believed to reflect the artist's experience of being raped in 1611.

Featured image: Artemisia Gentileschi - Judith Slaying Holofernes, between 1611 and 1612. Oil on canvas, 158.8 x 125.5 cm (62.5 x 49.4 in). Collection Museo Nazionale di Capodimonte. Images via Creative Commons.

Although the theme was, as mentioned, quite popular in the late 15th and 16th centuries, it evoked interest from modern artists as well. This claim is best illustrated by Judith and the Head of Holofernes or Judith I, an oil painting made by the legendary Gustav Klimt in 1901. The painter was apparently triggered by the myth and thus also produced a second work depicting the subject in 1909. Klimt's version of Judith is not a revengeful or aggressive heroine; rather, she is sensual, seductive, and mysterious. The heroine in Judith II is much more fierce than in the first version.

Featured image: Gustav Klimt - Judith and the Head of Holofernes, 1901. Oil on canvas, 84 cm x 42 cm (33 in x 17 in). Belvedere collection. Image via Creative Commons.

Simply titled Judith, this painting was created by Franz von Stuck in 1928. This German Symbolist painter is renowned for his paintings inspired by ancient Egyptian mythology. Stuck was one of the co-founders of the Munich Secession and is also celebrated for his sculpture. His rendition of the theme features a nude Judith at the moment before the beheading.

Featured image: Franz Stuck – Judith, 1927. Images via Creative Commons.

The decades have passed by, and the artists have moved away from the ancient myths at large. However, it seems that the archetypal images still permeate our culture, as seen in the recent work by the established contemporary painter, Kehinde Wiley. His interpretation of Judith and Holofernes belongs to his first series of works centered on female subjects. To make it entirely contemporary and responsive to the Black experience, Wiley hired Trisha Lowe to pose for the painting, a pedestrian whom he encountered while shopping in downtown Brooklyn. In the painting, she wears a dress by Riccardo Tisci of Givenchy.

Featured image: Kehinde Wiley - Judith and Holofernes, 2012. Image via Flickr.