CW #8: A Caravaggio Experience

I was roaming around the gallery of Palazzo Barberini, admiring the amazing collection, when I came across Caravaggio’s “Judith Beheading Holofernes” unexpectedly. The painting was enormous! Even though it was sandwiched between two other Caravaggio’s, I noticed my focus was directed more towards “Judith Beheading Holofernes” because of its enormous size and explicit scene. To some degree, I felt like it overpowered the two paintings next to it, forcing the viewer to draw their attention to “Judith Beheading Holofernes” by default.

At first glance, I do not know what to think of the violence Caravaggio depicts in this particular painting. Judith is the first character that I notice because of her white blouse and the fair skin of her neck and arms, which are the two aspects most prominent against the dark background. I follow her arms next, curious to see what she is doing with them as they are extended straight out. I notice her forearm muscles are well-defined – she must be using them. As soon as my gaze reaches her hands, I see her gripping the handle of an object. What could it be? At that moment, I’m not sure what she is holding, but I know I’ve reached an important part of the scene. My eyes land on Holoferne’s face and the terrified, death-like look in his eyes and then the stream of blood gushing from his neck. All at once. Then the sword. Judith is decapitating him. It is almost too unbearable to see such a gruesome sight. I cringe. But what surprises me the most is when I look over to the right-hand side of the painting, specifically at Judith. She has a cool, collected facial expression. Perhaps she feels no remorse for her actions? However, I also sense hesitation in her eyes, and even disgust, but overall, she fails to look fierce or frightened, a reaction I think would be more appropriate considering she is the midst of murdering a man. Based on these observations, I expect Judith made it her duty to slay Holofernes. She despises him with such passion that she planned her attack and completes it with great success because she had a sense of purpose. The folds in her dress and the way her body is positioned illustrate movement, as if Caravaggio captured her right after she spun around to attack Holofernes.

I know Holofernes was caught off guard because he is in bed half-naked and his mouth hangs open. It also looks as if he is in the midst of propping himself up, based on the placement of his hand, but Judith got to him with her sword first. The position of his eyes and facial expression is also significant. I associate Holofernes’s upward stare to Heaven and God. He is a dying man, and so it makes sense that he is looking up to Heaven, searching for an answer, an explanation for his end, his final plea for help.

What’s even more interesting about this painting is the facial expression and body language of the old woman standing next to Judith. Although I associate her as a woman of low social status because of the type of clothes she is wearing and the dirt that appears to be on them, I know she is important and is connected with Judith in some aspect because she stands beside Judith, watching her as she murders a man. The woman does nothing to stop Judith. She is focused on the violence Judith is committing and holds nothing against Judith’s actions. The determination, excitement, eagerness, and attention as she watches Judith are reflected in her eyes. She clutches onto her dress or apron, like a child grabbing hold of her blanket as she’s attentively waiting to see what happens next in the movie. In a sense, the old woman’s body language and expression makes me feel like she wants Holofernes dead more than Judith does. Could she be the one who actually convinced Judith to slay Holofernes?