Gentileschi/Wiley: Two Paintings of Judith 400 Years Apart

Taken from the Old Testament Book of Judith, the story features a heroic young widow, Judith, who saves the Jewish town of Bethulia during an attack by the Assyrian army. When the army’s general, Holofernes, falls asleep in a drunken stupor, Judith cuts off his head, and the town subsequently defeats the army. The story of Judith and Holofernes—the vulnerable rising to slay a hostile invader, the oppressed overthrowing their oppressor—holds enduring appeal. The subject appears repeatedly throughout art history, from the Middle Ages to the present. It is depicted by well-known artists such as Caravaggio, Lucas Cranach the Elder, Sandro Botticelli, Gustav Klimt, and many others. Over the years Judith has been interpreted as a virtuous young woman, a seductive femme fatale, and a brave heroine.

Created four hundred years apart, these two paintings by Gentileschi and Wiley of iconic women in acts of courageous defiance and female empowerment stimulate discussion around gender, race, identity, violence, religion, oppression, and power—all of which have remained relevant from the seventeenth century to now.