WOMEN of the ART

P R E S E N T

In an art world where biblical subjects are plentiful,
women have always been among the most represented...

I N T R O

Who hasn't heard of Judith?

The Braveheart Woman who stood strong to take on Holofernes, a general who laid siege to the Israelite city of Betulia causing great terror!

I want to tell you my story.

I saved my people with cunning and courage.
When I think back to that night I can still feel the adrenaline rushing through my veins.

I don't know how it came to me, but I had only one goal:
to SAVE my people!

I put sandals on my feet, and I put on anklets, bracelets, rings, and all other jewelry. I made myself so beautiful, to attract the eyes of all the men who could see me.

But my goal was only Holofernes.

I bravely passed through the doors with only my maid for company, was captured by a Babylonian patrol and taken to their camp.

I remember how Holofernes was deeply impressed and invited me to stay.

I had to wait three long days before the general acted as I wanted.

I tried to convince him that I could have the revelation of the sins of my people so that God would give it into their hands him.

I was relieved to see how Holofernes himself took advantage of the banquet to seduce me, the plan continued in the right way!

To my immense good fortune, when I entered Holofernes' room he was already hopelessly drunk. It was the perfect opportunity to kill him!

I approached his bed, I could feel my heartbeat accelerating but no thought distracted me from my goal.

I grabbed his head and with all the strength I was capable of, I hit him twice in the neck, knocking his head off!

And Salomè...

The Jewish princess forced by her mother, Erodiade, to ask for the head of John the Baptist.

Yes, it was me who killed John the Baptist, even though my hands have never touch the sword.

That night my words were sharper and more dangerous than a sword.

«Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist», I said that night to King Herod.

You may think that this is cruel or unfair. You may think whatever you want about me.

But I just wanted to help my mother. I have always been close to her, well...

If she wanted the death of Johann the Baptist, then ... her wish is my wish.

Scroll down to learn more!

These two women have been depicted by so many artists over the centuries...

and the two iconographies have often been confused, especially since many artists drew similar features for both!
Among them, only 5 are women artists and Artemisia Gentileschi is the one who has made the most works with our icons!

The works that represent Judith and Salomè are found in many parts of the world!

Let's see where they are ↓

There are more than 200 artworks and a large concentration is in Western Europe

Plenty of museums in Belgium and the Netherlands preserve works with these subjects!

The first representations appear as early as the fifteenth century...

... and the representations about Salomè have conquered every peak in the 1870s! thanks to Moreau and his Symbolism
TheBaroque artistic current made the theme of Judith the most represented, becoming very famous withCaravaggio's interpretation.

THE COMMON ELEMENT...

Although our two women of the past were driven by two different motives, in painting, they both symbolize the destructive beauty of the femme fatale, remaining protagonists in the artistic field.

This is a university project regarding the subject Publishing and Digital Storytelling at the University of Bologna.

Ekaterina Kolevatova worked on: data access, cleaning and data analysis.

Ludovica Russo worked on: web development, data visualization, communication strategy.