Discrepancies

In my art history class last semester, we studied a pair of paintings that I personally found very interesting. These two paintings were titled the same thing, Judith Beheading Holofernes. However, one was painted by a man named Caravaggio in 1599 and the other was painted by a woman named Gentileschi in 1612. I included both paintings in this blog. The first is Caravaggio's and the second is Gentileschi's.

The beheading of Holofernes by Judith is a Hebrew story. It is about a man (Holofernes) who takes the Jewish people as his prisoners. Judith--a young Jewish woman--steps up to the plate and saves her people by killing her captor. This story is referenced both in the Torah and the Bible.

When the viewer looks at the two paintings side-by-side, there are obviously some discrepancies. Yes, they are both beautifully painted, with good figure and details and colors. However, the painting by Gentileschi has a very different mood. While Caravaggio's Holofernes lays limp under the dagger, Gentileschi shows him struggling for his life. The Judith of Caravaggio's piece looks almost meek and mild--even standing far away. Gentileschi's Judith is clearly relishing her task, and is getting down and dirty with it.

The thing about the discrepancies is that they are explainable. Gentileschi did her painting shortly after being raped by a man, and many people attribute the brutality of the piece to this fact.

My question to you all is this: How can one possibly decide which painting is a better representation of the historical event? What factors must be taken into account?