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GENTILESCHI, Artemisia: Judith Beheading Holofernes

🖼 Judith Beheading Holofernes, c. 1620
Oil on canvas cm
147 × 108 cm
Florence, Italy

Violent action erupts across canvas as Judith and her maid pin down Holofernes, sword aimed at his neck in dramatic chiaroscuro. Gentileschi's bold female protagonist rewrites biblical narrative with visceral power, reflecting the artist's own triumph over assault and marginalization.

The story of art
The story of art
E. H. Gombrich
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