Humanities 1
You have now had the opportunity to look at two different versions of the painting " Judith Slaying Holofernes ," by both Caravaggio (Right) and Artemisia Gentilleschi (Left). At first glance, they may seem like the same painting, but you are being shown two very different images of Judith in these paintings.
Please take a moment to really look at these two paintings. We can see the similarities very easily, specifically that this is a painting about the same scene. So what I want, is for you to focus on HOW each artist portrays the character of Judith in these paintings. Look at her face, her body, how she is positioned. Look at the use of color, and lighting.
We're not looking at works of art for long enough. The exact numbers vary, but studies have determined that the average time a person spends looking at a piece in a museum is between 15 seconds and 30 seconds.
INSTRUCTIONS:
This is a lesson in looking at art. Challenge yourself this week to
LOOK Take time to look at the work of art AND
DESCRIBE Talk about what you see in the work of art.
1. List at least 4 details from each of the paintings. These can be any details you notice. (From the material to the emotional)
· Explore line, shape, color, composition, material, and subject matter.
· Use expressive language to describe what you see in detail. For example, instead of saying, “I see the sky,” you can say, “I see a dark, foreboding sky full of heavy clouds that sulk across the composition.”
THINK Interpret and assign meaning to the work of art.
2. What differences (please discuss at least 4) do you see between the "Judith" created by Caravaggio and the Judith created by Artemisia. This is open to your own interpretations, but here are some guidelines to look for below:
· Discuss differences in mood or expression
· Differences between certain details and composition
· What do you think Caravaggio and Artemisia were trying to communicate through their creation of this work of art? And how was this communicated differently?
3. In your opinion, knowing what you do about each artist's life, what could these differences say about the artist themselves? (IN YOUR OWN WORDS -3-4 sentences)
CONNECT Relate what you see to your own life, or to other works of art or images you have seen.
4. IN YOUR OWN WORDS: Which version of this painting do you prefer and why? (2-3 complete sentences)