Judith and the Head of Holofernes
Judith and the Head of Holofernes | |
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Artist | Gustav Klimt |
Year | 1901 |
Medium | Oil on canvas |
Dimensions | 84 cm × 42 cm (33 in × 17 in) |
Location | Österreichische Galerie Belvedere, Vienna |
Judith and the Head of Holofernes (also known as Judith I,
Context and influences
When Klimt addressed the biblical theme of Judith, the historical course of art had already codified its main interpretation and preferred representation. Many paintings exist describing the episode in a heroic manner, especially expressing Judith's courage and virtuous nature. Judith appears as God's instrument of salvation, but the violence of her action cannot be denied and is dramatically shown in Caravaggio's rendering,[2] as well as those of Gentileschi and Bigot.[3] Other representations have depicted the subsequent moment, when a dazed Judith holds Holofernes' severed head, as Moreau and Allori anticipate in their suggestive mythological paintings.[4]
Klimt deliberately ignores any narrative reference whatsoever and concentrates his pictorial rendering solely on to Judith, so much so that he cuts off Holofernes' head at the right margin. And there is no trace of a bloodied sword as if the heroine would have used a different weapon: an omission that legitimates association with
Judith I shares elements of its composition and symbolism with
Analysis
Judith's face exudes a mixed charge of voluptuousness and perversion. Its traits are transfigured so as to obtain the greatest degree of intensity and seduction, which Klimt achieves by placing the woman on an unattainable plane. Notwithstanding the alteration of features, one can recognise Klimt's friend (and, possibly, lover), Viennese socialite,
In the 1901 version, Judith maintains a magnetic fascination and sensuality, subsequently abandoned by Klimt in his She revels in her power and sexuality—so much so that critics mislabeled Klimt's Judith as Salome, the title character from Oscar Wilde's 1891 tragedy. To stress and re-emphasize that the woman was actually Judith and not Salome he had his brother, Georg, make the metal frame for him with "Judith and Holofernes" engraved on it.
See also
References
- ^ As Klimt painted another one, Judith II. (See image at right)
- ^ Cf. Caravaggio's painting in Wiki Commons.
- Judith Beheading Holofernesrenditions.
- ^ E. Di Stefano, Gustav Klimt, Art Dossier No. 29 (1988), passim. See images by Allori and Moreau in Wiki Commons.
- ^ The associations with Salome are many and varied, covering an extensive period in pictorial representation. Even Klimt's Judith II is at times quoted as Salome. See Commons: "Salome".
- ^ Cf. Federico Zeri, Giuditta I (1998), p. 4.
- Franz Stuck too, painted a Judith, but before the killing: see Commons image.
- ^ Cf. F. Zeri, Giuditta I, cit., p. 8.
- ^ Cf. Frank Whitford, Klimt (1990), s.v. "Adele Bloch-Bauer".
- ^ Cf. F. Zeri, Giuditta I, cit., pp. 4–9.
- ^ Cf. F. Zeri, Giuditta I, cit., p. 8.
Bibliography
- Zeri, Federico (1998), Giuditta I (in Italian), Rizzoli.
- Kinsella, Eileen (January 2007), "Gold Rush", ARTnews.
- Sabarsky, Serge (1983), Gustav Klimt: Drawings, et al., Moyer Bell.
- Whitford, Frank (1990), Klimt, Thames and Hudson.
Further reading
- Chillida, Julio Vives. El Beso (Los Enamorados) de Gustav Klimt. Un Ensayo de Iconografía, Lulu.com, junio de 2008, ISBN 978-1-4092-0530-2.
- Czernin, Hubertus. Die Fälschung: Der Fall Bloch-Bauer und das Werk Gustav Klimts. Czernin Verlag, Vienna 2006. ISBN 3-7076-0000-9
- Kallir, Jane, Alfred Weidinger: Gustav Klimt. In Search of the Total Artwork. Prestel, New York 2009, ISBN 978-3-7913-4232-0
- O'Connor, Anne-Marie (2012), The Lady in Gold, The Extraordinary Tale of Gustav Klimt's Masterpiece, Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer, New York: Alfred A. Knopf, ISBN 978-0-307-26564-7.
- Schorske, Carl E. "Gustav Klimt: Painting and the Crisis of the Liberal Ego" in ISBN 0-394-74478-0
- Weidinger, Alfred. Klimt. Catalogue Raisonné, Prestel, New York, 2007, ISBN 978-3-7913-3764-7
External links
- Gallery of works by Gustav Klimt at Zeno.org (in German)
- iKlimt.com
- Web Museum Klimt page
- Klimt Film at IMDb
- High resolution Klimt gallery
- Klimt – Painter of Women, CH: Cosmopolis, archived from the original on 5 December 2012, retrieved 15 November 2012.