Klimt, Judith I
Item
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Title
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Klimt, Judith I
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Rights
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Belvedere, Vienna, photo: Johannes Stoll, Public Domain.
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Creator
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Gustav Klimt (1862-1918)
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Date
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1901
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Description
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A woman with ivory skin and black hair pulled up into a simple updo stares sensually at the viewer. Her cheeks are flushed, bare breasts exposed beneath the near transparent blue gown she is draped in. Much like the rest of the composition, the gown is accented with elaborate, gold embellishments. This woman is the Jewish heroine Judith and, save for her body, the rest of the composition is overwhelmed with these rich blues and golds—making it appear as though she is disappearing into it (something the artist, Klimt, was known to do). Although her left hand is obscured, we see that within it she is holding the severed head of the Assyrian general Holofernes. Her right hand supports the head and makes it look like she is trying to push the head (the testament of her crime) out of view. The painting is displayed in a wooden frame with gold embellishments at the apex and a risen inscription that reads “Judith and Holofernes.”
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Format
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Painting. Oil on Canvas. 84 x 42 cm
Frame dimensions: 98 × 48 × 5 cm
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Publisher
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The Belvedere. 4737
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Contributor
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Abigail P.
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Subject
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Painting; oil paint; oil painting; art around 1900; Vienna; Klimt; biblical stories; Judith with the head of Holofernes; head of a decapitated person; Art Nouveau.
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Source
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Jpeg file. Johannes Stoll. The Belvedere Digital Collection. https://digital.belvedere.at/objects/3492/judith, 3/7/2020.
Judith I