Not Painting

I said the gallery was only paintings, so she took me to see Judith Slaying Holofernes.

She said first, there’s a wash. Invisible, buried, yet subconsciously shaping the whole feel. Not painting, but psychology.

Then comes the construction in oils and brushstrokes. Not painting, but engineering.

Then beyond technique, see how the artist casts herself as Judith and her rapist as Holofernes. Not painting. Judgement.

Further still, see how she was tortured with thumbscrews to make her admit her accusation was a lie. And see her response, this image, saying her hands remain unbroken.

“Painting makes pictures. Layers make art.”

—–

This story was from the prompt ‘Artemisia Gentileschi’. Judith Slaying Holofernes is her most famous work, but she made the Judith story a bit of a speciality.