Light in Painting
Artemisia Gentileschi
Judith and Her Maidservant with the Head of Holofernes
about 1623–25
Oil on canvas, 187.2 × 142 cm. Detroit Institute of Arts
A single candle lights the scene; Judith raises a hand beside the flame, as if to screen its light.
- The Detroit Institute of Arts says its theatrical lighting echoes Caravaggio.
- Almost everything outside the candle's reach is lost in darkness.
Concepts
Image: Wikimedia Commons · Public domain