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Beheading Holofernes Analysis

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In this representation of Judith being physically in the act of beheading Holofernes, Caravaggio made the distinct choice to stray from the established pictorial traditions of the Book of Judith created by previous artists. For centuries, this scene had been demonstrated by showing Judith and her maid leaving the tent carrying the head of Holofernes or with the two women in the tent with the general’s head-less body visible in the background; that is, until Donatello’s depiction in the mid-fifteenth century with his famous bronze sculpture that implies the courage of commune against oppression. Although, Donatello’s version is still more about the anticipation of the action, and not the beheading itself. Caravaggio has left us with the impression …show more content…

Van Gelder wrote that in the sixteenth century, and all subsequent centuries, it is important to differentiate Catholicism and Protestantism parallel with a third religious movement, well-defined as the “humanistic religion.” While profound, this is a bit difficult to accept, because generalizing the religious beliefs of humanists during the complex sixteenth century is not a simple task. Doing so might even be perceived as naïve to assume this generational shift had anything to do with religion. Any understanding of the Renaissance must rest on a certain selection of facts and how one has chosen to interpret them, and while Dr. Van Gelder’s ideas are difficult to agree or disagree with entirely, it is more probable that this humanistic split is somewhere in between Catholicism and Protestantism. (Weiss) The Book of Judith appears in the Catholic Old Testament, but not in the Protestant Bible because it is not canonical. The name “Judith” is the feminine form of “Judah,” meaning “the Jewess.” Because of this parallel, she is very much a symbol of the Jewish people, Jewish women specifically. A main theme in this story is of the nature of God and how Judith reprimands town officials for attempting to make God in their own image. Judith represents more than just beauty, although that is a major part of her story. She used the tools she had—beauty, intelligence, and cunning—to redeem herself and her people.

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"So as to allure the eyes of all men that should see her" (Judith 10:4). Judith is adorned in a contemporary costume and rests her arm on the severed head of Holofernes, the enemy of her people. Lucas Cranach the Elder, as mentioned earlier, painted at least eight Judith's, all similar with the composition of the heroine but with some minor changes in appearance, for example, Lucas Cranach has revealed a long-haired heroine with her hand on top of the dismantled head of Holofernes whilst holding the sword she used to remove the threat of her people. All eight Judith’s are clothed in a fantastically elaborate costumes that accentuates the heroine’s figure, this is also a characteristic of Cranach's mannerism. Here, Cranach represented Judith

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The Middle Ages were the era of Reformation. The Renaissance, the Protestant Reformation, and the Catholic counter-reformation were all major reform movements that brought about much needed change. However, these three movements strongly disagreed with each other. Why did they disagree? Because they had different perspectives concerning Christianity and the church’s authority.

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Haigh concludes his work by assessing the Marian restoration, the Elizabethan political restoration, and policies aimed at a growing catholic minority such as recusancy. Haigh not for the first time provides a balanced argument. He rejects the notion that “Marys reign was an aberration, an inconvenient disruption of the natural process of Reformation.” Haigh undermines this argument because the “demand for religious change had been weak; protestants had become a significant minority movement and had not broken through to mass support. From the perspective of 1558 it is the reign of Edward which appears an aberration, disrupting the process of Catholic restoration which begun in 1538 and was to continue under Mary.”

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Henri Regnault’s “Summary Execution in Granada Under the Moorish Kings” is a riveting visual experience on multiple levels. Through calculated artistic choices, Regnault ensures that the painting’s grotesque nature strikes first, shocking the viewer on a primal level. He plays with theatrical scale, angles, and lighting to elevate the drama of this scene in a way that would certainly have appealed to the fantastic imaginations of his audience in 19th century France. But equally as mesmerizing is how Regnault quietly imbues the painting with a sense that its characters are subject to some larger, unseen power. Through the use of line, color, and brushwork, Regnault forces the viewer to suspend judgement of the scene by alluding to the the complexity of what influenced the action.

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