Analysis of Giovanni Francesco Guerrieris Judith with...

Artistic interpretation: Giovanni Francesco Guerrieris Judith With the Head of Holofernes Giovanni Francesco Guerrieris oil painting Judith With the Head of Holofernes (1626) depicts the Biblical heroine dressed in Renaissance-style clothing. She has impassive, beautiful face. Judith has long, flowing blonde hair, pale blue eyes, and the neckline of her dress is modest. Judith looks slightly pregnant because of the folds of her gown. The sleeves of her dress are large, pink, and puffy, further contributing to her feminine appearance, as does her small, dangling earrings. In one hand, the beautiful woman holds the beheaded face of Holofernes. Holofernes eyes are closed and he has a snarled, scraggly beard. His face is pale and ashen and blends into the background. The dead mans face is a stark contrast to Judiths beauty. In the opposite hand Judith holds a sword. Although her hand has a golden, delicate bracelet, her arm is clenching the sword in a strong, muscular fashion and the sword is not in its scabbard, suggesting that Judith is still a vital, active warrior. Judith is speaking to a man (or perhaps a woman) with a covered head. The figure is much older than Judith, and looks at her with wonderment, his long nose crinkled with horror. Judith looks at him, not at the viewer. Although she is an idealized figure, she is fully involved with the scene. The scene is realistically depicted in the sense that it is not an abstract work of art like a Picasso, but it