Explore the Judith as a self-portrait about the Artist of the Interpretation in this artwork.
Judith as a self-portrait There exists a pattern of Gentileschi using her figure as a model in her work which has afforded the artist the innate ability to render the female form. Although this practice would not constitute every painting a self-portrait, there are those with that exact intention, including works such as the Self-Portrait as Saint Catherine of Alexandria from 1616 and the Self-Portrait as the Allegory of Painting, c. 1628. The genre of self-portraiture had been made popular at this time by artists such as Caravaggio and Rembrandt.That said, whether or not the various Judiths are allegorical self-portraits is a rather contentious subject. Gentileschi's violent depiction of the Judith theme is, according to Mary Garrard, most often made parallel to the traumatic events within her early life and is centered on gendered defiance. To the contrary, scholars such as Griselda Pollock and Elena Ciletti push back against this perspective, arguing instead that the near-constant mention of her assault only succeeds in limiting Gentileschi's image.
Griselda Pollock Caravaggio Rembrandt Self-Portrait as the Allegory of Painting Self-Portrait as Saint Catherine of Alexandria Mary Garrard