Preview

Description of Judith Cutting Off the Head of Holofernes by Trophine Bigot

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
411 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Description of Judith Cutting Off the Head of Holofernes by Trophine Bigot
Descriptive Paper In this essay I will describe the elements that make up Judith Cutting Off the Head of Holofernes by Trophine Bigot, a Baroque artist. This work is an oil painting on wood panel from 1640. It is part of the permanent collection at the Walters Museum in Baltimore Maryland. The painting is of a close up scene occurring between two females and a male. Behind the people there are red curtains parting open. It is the only part of the back ground that is visible to the viewer. The rest is in dark shadows, with only the subjects being illuminated. The man is lying on a bed, while the women are standing to either side of him. The point of view for the viewer is as if they are standing behind the bed. Bigot’s painting depicts a scene from the book of Judith in the Catholic Old Testament. The woman to the left of the man, Holofernes, is Judith. She is leaning over him with a sword, in the middle of cutting off Holofernes’s head. Her right hand in holding onto the sword handle, while her left hand in pushing down on the blade. Holofernes is trying to prevent her from decapitating him by grasping on her left shoulder. Judith is wearing a dark blue dress with white sleeves that are rolled up. Her blond hair is braided and kept under her head dress, with only a small bit of hair loose on her left side. The head dress is red with gold and pearls on it. The other woman in the painting is Judith’s servant. She is wearing a green and yellow dress and a turban on her head. She appears much older than Judith and has wrinkles on her face. The servant is holding three candles in her right hand, which are the only light source in the painting. Her left hand is holding down Holofernes hand to keep him from struggling against the two women. The facial expressions of Judith and her servant are calm and serene. They appear unfazed by the violent act they are committing. Holofernes is lying on the bed covered in a brown blanket from the torso down. His head is
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    The Grotesque Old Woman Analysis
    • 627 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Grotesque Old Woman Analysis

    The Grotesque Old Woman, by Renaissance painter, Quinten Metsys illustrates an old and unattractive woman of the 16th century. Her voluptuous, weathered breasts are on displayed and her headdress is one of astute fashion of an earlier German period and her eloquent dress and corset are fashionable to Italy in this time period. Her aged hands hold a small and delicate red bud, a symbol of engagement, and her slightly lifted chin is of poised position. All of this beauty and detailed is over shadowed with the features of a rather controversial “ugliness.”…

    • 627 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Analysis of the Triumph of Divine Love - Peter Paul Rubens
    • 1099 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Analysis of the Triumph of Divine Love - Peter Paul Rubens

    The scene it portrays shows a woman holding an infant while she stands on a chariot drawn by two lions. Surrounding her in the air and around her feet are sixteen angels or cherubs. In the background there is a horizon with foggy mountains and a lake. On the left and right of the picture there are two columns reminiscent of the Classical era and at the top of the painting there is curtains and berry garland, almost like the scene was staged in a theater.…

    • 1099 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Gerrit Van Honthorst: Art Analysis
    • 1404 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Gerrit Van Honthorst: Art Analysis

    The piece of Art, Smiling Girl, a Courtesan Holding an Obscene Image, painted by Gerrit van Honthorst in 1625 can be seen at the Saint Louis Art Museum. I was initially drawn to this image from across the gallery mostly due to the subject’s bright red dress with gold sleeves, it was one of the brightest colored images in the gallery. It is about three feet tall and two feet wide, it is an oil on canvas painting. As I approached the image, I was still intrigued as the image she is holding is of a naked man facing away, the subject in the painting seems to get enjoyment from this. To me this piece of art makes me curious, I want to know who this woman was and why she is holding that image. The artist seems to be communicating the importance of…

    • 1404 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Marble Head of a Ptolemaic Queen
    • 1348 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Marble Head of a Ptolemaic Queen

    This object, being placed in the back of a long central hallway, is found in a room containing large sculptures of men and women. There were also many portraits of only the heads of men and women. This placement hints to the wide belief that this head was originally thought to be prepared as a separate piece for insertion in a stature. There was once a veil covering the top and back of the head, but now it is missing. Marble at the summit and back of the head was left roughly worked, since a veil in either marble or stucco, a fine plaster used for moldings and other architectural decorations, would have hidden it. For the development of the ideal form, this sculpture had to accomplish its purpose having had to restrict itself almost exclusively to form giving the viewer a feeling of tranquility and authority.2 Consequently,…

    • 1348 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Artemisia Gentileshi
    • 1814 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Artemisia Gentileshi

    Although the subject matter of this piece of art is somewhat macabre, the realism, since we can almost feel the fear of Judith and Ara of being discovered; plus the story behind the author and Judith, draw my interest and fascination to attempt this analysis of its visual elements and principles of design.…

    • 1814 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Judith Slaying Holofernes: Chiaroscuron
    • 120 Words
    • 1 Page

    Judith Slaying Holofernes: Chiaroscuron

    In “Judith Slaying Holofernes”, it uses a technique called Chiaroscuro, which means light and dark. “Chiaroscuro, (from Italian: chiaro, “light,” and scuro, “dark”) technique employed in the visual arts to represent light and shadow as they define three-dimensional objects.” (The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica, 2015) It is usually to create a dramatic effect or 3D effect through the contrast of value. This painting uses an extreme Chiaroscuro, called Tenebrism, where the highest value is Judith, Abra and Holofernes, and the lowest value on the other hand, is the background. It builds up an effect that advances the characters to the front and recedes the background, creating a 3D and dramatic effect. It evokes contrast because it creates…

    • 120 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Palomino Distinctively Visual Analysis Essay
    • 566 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Palomino Distinctively Visual Analysis Essay

    On first look at the painting, we give our attention to the isolated woman in the middle of the work. The woman is the largest feature of the painting and is the focal point of all other elements found in the painting. The woman is portrayed as someone of great importance. The woman is clothed in a flowing white…

    • 566 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Ruby Doll Symbolism
    • 5174 Words
    • 21 Pages

    Ruby Doll Symbolism

    The use of the mannequin chosen is a potent visual symbol for the audience as it can highlight the perversion of their relationship showing that they construct games to make meaning in their lives and hints at pedophilia and abuse, which becomes more and more prominent as the play progresses. This reading of the play can be heightened thought the use of powerful visual symbols…

    • 5174 Words
    • 21 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Summary: The Pinch Of Poverty
    • 766 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Summary: The Pinch Of Poverty

    There are four main individuals contained within this painting who are situated in the foreground. A mother is sitting on a small stone wall of what looks to be someone’s yard. On her lap is a baby wrapped in a sling that is enclosed around the woman’s body. To the left of her is a young boy. He is leaning into her which shows that they have a close bond. The three look as though they are there to encourage the little girl on the right who is selling flowers. She is more than…

    • 766 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Judith Beheading Holofernes Analysis
    • 2548 Words
    • 11 Pages

    Judith Beheading Holofernes Analysis

    The story tells how Judith saved her people by seducing and killing Holofernes, the Assyrian general. Judith explains what occurs when she utters “Approaching to his bed, she took hold of the hair of his head, and said, Strengthen me, O Lord God of Israel, this day! And she smothe twice upon his neck with all her might, and she took away his head from him” (Judith, 13:7-8). Gentileschi is able capture the domination of Judith through conveying her anguishes and wants for revenge against Tassi. The painting screams “female empowerment” as Judith and her maidservant, Abra, hold Holofernes to the bed and massacre him. The background of the painting is a plain bedroom wall that is being illuminated from an unknown light source that also brightens the figures in the painting. This is a technique that is constantly seen in Baroque art where light is used to create meaning and reveal form. The meaning emphasizes what will happen in the moment depicted (Baroque). The illuminated figures in the painting are Judith in blue, her maidservant Abra in red, and Holofernes laying face up. The expressions of the characters vary. As Judith grips the hair of Holofernes with her left hand and slices open his neck with a sword in her right hand, she wears a calm and thoughtful expression. It is as if Judith is focusing on her technique to work through the neck of Holofernes effectively similar to a…

    • 2548 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Noah's Ark Analysis
    • 1363 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Noah's Ark Analysis

    As in Noah’s Ark, there is the evidence of acknowledgment of Egyptian wall paintings which ties into African heritage. The most prominent part of the painting is the story being told through the figures in the foreground. Starting on the left, the story begins with the slave worker in the fields picking cotton. As the story transitions to the right, the figures are no longer hunching over, but are standing tall and willing to fight for their freedom. In the background are the silhouettes of the armies that fought for and against the abolishment of slavery. The center figure, through the use of Art Deco inspired geometric shapes becomes the focal point, is pointing towards the north to lead the southerners to their economic freedom. Lastly, on the right side of the painting, emphasizes the cultural rebirth black Americans found in the…

    • 1363 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Marriage Between Arnolfini And His Wife
    • 569 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Marriage Between Arnolfini And His Wife

    This symbolizes what is usually called a “left handed marriage” which means a union of unequal’s, in which the woman was obliged to forfeit all the usual right of property and inheritance. Which is like us today as a morganatic marriage which is entered by a European royal prince and a commoner. This is most likely the cause of the two witnesses are present to validate the financial contract drawn up at the time of marriage. If the couple are in fact Giovanni di Nicolao Arnolfini and his wife Giovanna Cenami, there is no question of it being a marriage between unequal’s, as Giovanna was equally well connected. But in 1997 it was established that their marriage did not take place until 1447 - about thirteen years after the date of the painting, and six years after Jan van Eyck's death. However, his brother Michele appears to have entered a marriage, around the time of the painting. Other art historians think the painting might represent the wedding of Giovanni di Nicolao Arnolfini and his first wife Costanza…

    • 569 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Art Criticism – the Creation of Adam
    • 603 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Art Criticism – the Creation of Adam

    In this painting God is depicted as an elderly white-bread man wrapped in a swirling cloak while Adam, is in the lower left and is completely nude while sitting on a large boulder. God’s right arm is extended to impact the spark of life from his own finger into Adam whose left arm is extended in pose mirroring God. Adam appears to be completely nude sitting on what seems to be a rocky hill God and Adam’s finger are not touching which gives the impression that God is reaching out to Adam and Adam is receiving. God is surrounded by many females; they are wrapped around his whole body.…

    • 603 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Judith and Maidservant with the Head of Holofernes and Joseph the Carpenter
    • 506 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Judith and Maidservant with the Head of Holofernes and Joseph the Carpenter

    Gentileschi is a second generation Italian artist who demonstrates tenebrism in the form of candlelight that is placed on a table. The heroic figure, Judith within the painting is blocking the light with her hand thusly casting a shadow onto her face. This illustration seems to project the intention that Judith is hiding from unforeseen dangers just out of sight. Gentileschi’s oil canvas creation is 72 ½ X 55 ¾ inches in size and is an “expressive media tool” (253) with the use of brilliant colors, detailing in the clothing, lighting, and shadowing. It is a great asset for the artist to paint with passion and imagination as well as realistic views.…

    • 506 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Art Analysis: Midsummer Night in Harlem, by Palmer Hayden
    • 824 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Art Analysis: Midsummer Night in Harlem, by Palmer Hayden

    This painting shows the energy and positive attitudes of the people through the use of vibrant colors and the happy expressions of the faces. The people in this picture have features that were comparable to the minstrel characters (Wikipedia, 26 July 2013) often depicting Black face. Many have very dark skin with big white eyes and teeth, and are all smiles. All of the people are dressed nicely in dresses for the women and girls, top hats and slacks for the men and boys. It is safe to assume that the people in the picture had just came from church, because in the background you clearly see the church and a handful of people walking out as well as a carload of people driving off.…

    • 824 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More

Related Topics