My newest painting is now up on my website under the New Works gallery. Here is a close up detail shot of it:
Judith's Reprise (detail), oil on canvas, 18" x 24"
This is part of my new series of paintings, kind of an amalgamation of past different works, from the patterns to the background to the animal “mask” head. It is also a reprise of a painting that I made while I was in London during my Masters degree, in 2003. It was a large painting that I never finished and abandoned in London after moving back to Vancouver. That painting was a self-portrait and somewhat autobiographical version of Artemisia Gentileschi’s Judith Slaying Holofernes (c. 1612).
Artemisia Gentileschi, Judith Slaying Holofernes (c. 1612)
I saw this painting, in all of its gory splendor in Florence, Italy – an amazing trip where I saw so much beautiful and inspiring artwork and architecture. It was great to see the original after only viewing it in books and on the internet, which was my reference material for my painted version. The story of Judith and Holofernes intrigued me, and having studied art history throughout my undergraduate degree, I was interested in all the paintings that this allegory had inspired. Here’s a brief description from Wikipedia about the story of Judith:
In the story, Judith, a beautiful widow and chosen by God, uses her charms to enter the tent of Holofernes, an Assyrian general out to destroy Judith’s hometown. Overcome with drink, he passes out and is decapitated by Judith; his head is taken away in a basket (often depicted as carried by an elderly female servant). Artists have mainly chosen one of two possible scenes (with or without the servant): the decapitation, with Holofernes prone on the bed, or the heroine holding or carrying the head…
For many artists and scholars, Judith was a character whose sexualized femininity interestingly and sometimes contradictorily combined with her masculine aggression.
It’s actually amazing to see all the different depictions of Judith in art. From Michaelangelo’s version in the Sistine Chapel to Klimt’s two versions, it is interesting how one story can be painted in so many ways and styles. Here are a few of my favourites:
Caravaggio, Judith Beheading Holofernes (c. 1598-1599)
There’s something about the look on the young Judith’s face in contrast with the horror on Holofernes face that fascinates me.
Gustav Klimt, Judith I (1901)
Gustav Klimt, Judith II (1909)
When I was younger, I actually didn’t ever see Holofernes’ heads in these paintings. I was so taken by the beauty of the patterns and women that I never suspected that this Judith was the one and same Judith from the story.
So are you intrigued about Judith’s Reprise now? You can see my painting on my website here.
