Judith Deapitating Holofernes Analysis

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Baroque art led to a large number of creations of the 16th century through the 18th century all across Europe with an emphasis on details that made the art dramatic and interesting. Dark and human nature themes are key themes depicted in Baroque Art. Judith Decapitating Holofernes painting shows great imagery from the baroque themes. Baroque art forged a strong connection between horror and drama through naturalistic close-up scenes, and a reversal of societal norms. In the biblical era women were inferior to men as such women did not have any social powers due to the fact that it was a male dominated society. Women’s behavior were extremely limited in the sense that they had very strict rules to allocate with each status of their life. Women…show more content…
Bigot heightened the drama by contrasting Judith’s serene determination with the amazement and horror exploding from the general’s face. Bigot portrays the general’s head upside down emphasizing his defeat and evokes the reversal of societal norms by a woman’s defeat over a strong man. By the 1620s Trophime Bigot (also known as master of Candlelight), had introduced often brutal, naturalistic, close-up scenes by a single light source. In the powerful baroque composition, the candle light concentrates the drama around the clear diagonal movement back from Holofernes’s arm (Walter Museum). The painting is dark and dramatic, which coincide with the baroque era. Judith and her maid Abra stand over Holofernes, who is vulnerable on his back. A spotlight is cast on the action while the bright movement is framed by very dark drapes, which hangs motionlessly in the background (Anderson 2015). The almost black back drop emphasizes an air of mystery in the sense dark deeds are done in the dark. The shadows on Judith’s arms emphasizes the twisting movements she uses to saw off Holofernes head. Contrasting bright light to the arm can be followed down to the silvery sheen on the sword, which is met by the darkness of Holofernes’s beard. The point of high contrast brings the eye in to focus more on the area where the blood gushes out. The gushing blood streaming down spurts a dying man. Judith Slaying Holofernes is a piece filled with gory

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