About
What’s in a name? This a blog about Judith – the name, the heroine and me. Think of it as Art History meets omphaloskepsis: contemplating my navel through the representations of my namesake over time. Egotistical, I know. But much more fun than just plain navel gazing because there are gory pictures as the backdrop. Join me in traveling through time and the space between my ears as I try to understand what it means to be Judith.
yes, the title says my name is "Judith, to you." and it's as arrogant as it sounds. that's what happens when a giggley little girl is bestowed a heavy-weight name like Judith. but it's time to own my name. to be Shakespearean and wonder "What's in a name?" to learn about the artwork inspired by the name. to contemplate how a widow in a gleaming gown can decapitate a brute - and not muss her nails. join me in the bumpy ride through history and art and social change, all in the name of Judith.
judith2you 
Don
August 20, 2011 at 5:49 pm
Wow–this is truly amazing. Love the “as arrogant as it sounds”. It’s so professional and it really flows.
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gretel
April 8, 2012 at 11:39 am
What a fabulous blog! I love Judith and look for her in every church and museum I visit. I lived in Rome for a time and enjoyed visiting her, especially Caravaggio’s at Palazzo Barberini. Brava!
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judith2you
July 15, 2012 at 10:50 am
thank you so much for the comment on my blog about Judith. i hope you are still reading – there is something new every day. there only works of art i intentionally skipped are etchings, so i hope this helps you find the Judith’s you are looking for.
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Adam
July 15, 2012 at 12:16 am
I like this a lot! I just saw a painting “Judith Decapitating Holofernes” at the Walter’s in Baltimore – it re-spurred my interest in this story and it’s painting. I used 2 examples in a slideshow for a drawing class I taught to talk about how to abstract: one was Carvargio and the other was Cy Twombly, which I noticed you don’t have here. It’s really nice, here’s a link to it:
http://tvlanddryspell.tumblr.com/post/11602644678/cy-twombly-1928-2011-death-of-holofernes
Keep up the good work!
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judith2you
July 15, 2012 at 9:12 pm
Adam,
Thanks so much for commenting. The problem with my blog: with one image a day, sometimes it appears I missed one. In fact, the Cy Twombley you linked is scheduled for September 3rd. However, your interpretation would be greatly appreciated. I found it rather … vague.
Let me know of any other Judith’s that appear to be missing. I have 217 more to go!
Judith
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Adam
July 21, 2012 at 9:19 pm
Oh! Thanks for clarifying. I will attempt a worthy interpretation and send it your way when I’m done.
Thanks,
arf
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Matteo Ciompallini
August 15, 2012 at 7:58 am
Hello,
thank You for sharing my work and being interested – deeper in the meaning of the work. By looking at it from the psychological, symbolical or even with an eye of the art historian, You are making me happy and very appreciated.
I am interested in the classical themes in art from the young teenager. I am still. The theme of the Judith and Holofernes was important for me and very natural. I mean that it was very inspiring for me, how Caravaggio portrayed emotions on Her face or the feminine view in the painting by Artemisia Gentileschi.
I have a few more drawings and interpretations in my sketchbooks and in my mind for future.
About image You posted, I can’t say too much I did it long time ago and more as an eplorations for a style, way. More I could say about the other image You have seen at my blog.
Greetings from me,
Matteo Ciompallini
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judith2you
August 15, 2012 at 10:23 am
Matteo,
Your reply is much appreciated. The second image is published today and your comments on it would add to the insights. It is a pleasure to see how your work has developed.
Thank you again for sharing your art,
Judith
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Jennifer Leah Jones
October 22, 2012 at 10:49 am
Hello, my name is Jennifer. I’m really interested in your background. Can you please email me, I’d love to know more about you and your history. I’m writing a piece called “Who am I What do I do?”
It’s about Sophonisba Anguissola, Lavinia Fontana, Artemesia Gentileschi, & Judith Leyster. “Something changed for Women in the Renaissance, in Women’s sense of themselves, even if very little changed for the better in their social condition. That change did have its roots in the spiritual experience of women, and it culminates in the consciousness put into words by the first feminists of the Renaissance…the intelligent seekers of a new way. (McIver, 3) Thank you so much. I look forward to hearing from you. Jen.art.jones@gmail.com
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judith2you
December 9, 2012 at 1:00 pm
Jennifer,
I thought I replied to your gmail account, but if not please forgive me. Let me know how I can assist you, because I love to talk in general and especially about art.
Kind regards,
Judith
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le biez
December 9, 2012 at 12:52 pm
Hi Judith2you.
Am the crearor of Holophernes just before died….http://lebiezart-design.blogspot.fr/
Thanks.
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judith2you
December 9, 2012 at 12:59 pm
Thank you for finding me! Your depiction of Holofernes is so dramatic – I hope I did it justice.
Merci,
Judith
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A/Z
January 11, 2014 at 8:23 am
hi! who do you think would be a match for Panofsky not-Salome-but-Judith’s Maffei?
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judith2you
January 11, 2014 at 11:33 am
A match? As in “almost as confusing iconography?” The issue rests on (a) who is in charge of the sword? and (b) is the head in a bag or on a plate? And to a lesser degree (c) how slutty is she dressed. Titan (1515) comes to mind for the Renaissance. But it seems most confusion begins in the history of art when Judith enters a sexualized phase – particularly among the Orientalists. Examples are Judith by Leon Francois Comerre (1875-1903) and Jakub Obrovsky (1913).
Thanks for inspiring me to look at these again and add a tag for Salome to several.
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E. Ciletti
February 28, 2014 at 6:19 pm
You may be interested in the anthology “The Sword of Judith: Judith Studies Across Disciplines”, published in 2010 by Open Book Publishers in Cambridge UK — available as a free Google e-book and in paperback.
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auburnalsatian
April 2, 2014 at 1:06 pm
Hello there! I am writing a paper for my MA on Klimt’s Judith and was blown away! by what you have here. How many Judiths do you believe you have posted here? So many chronological listings stop way too early and ignore most of the 20th century.
Funny Story – My eight year old was telling us that it is “sexist” how the praying mantis female cuts off the head of her mate… the next day, I found the sculpture you have of the two praying mantises.. LOL!! Showed it to my friends and we all got a good chuckle out of it.
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judith2you
April 14, 2014 at 3:20 pm
Thanks for your comment! To keep up with all the artwork, I did have to employ a spreadsheet that tells me there are 728 works in the blog. I still have some works for which I have been unable to fully identify the source, and I am always hoping to be able to add to the collection. Good luck with that MA – and with an 8-year-old who think Praying Mantis are sexist!
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oatmealgirl09
February 1, 2015 at 12:44 pm
FYI, from the front page of the Arts & Leisure section of today’s Sunday NY Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/01/arts/design/kehinde-wiley-puts-a-classical-spin-on-his-contemporary-subjects.html?ref=arts&_r=0 In the print edition, the artist and his painting Judith Beheading Holofernes is much more prominent.
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judith2you
February 1, 2015 at 1:00 pm
Thank you for the heads up! I will look for that. His painting of her is fabulous and regal. Oh wait … the painting featured in the article is one I have not seen before.
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Prive judith
August 27, 2015 at 12:32 pm
Hello Judith. Thank you for your work.
Here new links where you can find good paintings +
http://www.culture.gouv.fr/public/mistral/joconde_fr
http://www.culture.gouv.fr/public/mistral/joconde_fr?ACTION=RETROUVER&LEVEL=2&GRP=0&REQ=%28%28Livre%20de%20Judith%29%20%3ASREP%20%29&USRNAME=nobody&USRPWD=4%24%2534P&REL_SPECIFIC=&FIELD_98=SREP&VALUE_98=%20Livre%20de%20Judith&SYN=1&IMAGE_ONLY=&MAX1=1&MAX2=1&MAX3=100&DOM=All
Judith from Montreal
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Victoria
September 30, 2016 at 9:46 pm
Hi, great blog! I was wondering whether you know of any painted cassone panels featuring Judith? If you do, that would be a great help to me!
Thanks!
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judith2you
October 3, 2016 at 8:56 am
Yes there is one at the Dayton Art Institute. There is also a panel at Shakespeare’s Birthplace Trust that may have been part of a cassone at one time. A search of previous posts should produce them. Hope this helps.
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Victoria
October 3, 2016 at 11:45 am
Thanks very much!!
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Sandrine
March 31, 2017 at 7:23 am
Hello,
Your collection of Judith and Holophernes is AMAZING!
Thank you so much !
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Lilliane Gosling
February 23, 2018 at 12:58 pm
This blog has been a treasure trove for me. Thanks so much for the breath/tsunami of fresh air. Before I start a painting I usually spend ages reading round, daydreaming etc and I’ve been working through various killer ladies; the collection of artwork here has been revivifying! Can I refer to your blog when I upload my Judith (“Heads I Win”) on my site?
I had originally wanted to paint Judith playfully balancing H’s head on the tip of her sword, but a medieval engraver beat me to it, so it’s on a kind of diabolo in a triumphal procession instead – thanks for drawing my attention to so many interpretations.
Incidentally I looked up http://workshops.nypl.org/judith/ as you suggested but it’s 404 now.
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judith2you
February 23, 2018 at 5:53 pm
Thank you so much for the encouraging words. Sadly, I realize that many links may disappear as time marches on. Of course you can reference me! This blog was a labor of love … and a little passive-aggression.
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Steve Jewett
April 4, 2018 at 4:33 pm
Hi,
I’m not sure how I found you, but I’ve been a loyal follower for a long time and have read every post! I was at the MFA in Boston today. As I came around the corner, there was Jan Massys’ Judith. How exciting! Because of you, I felt like she was an old friend.
Thank you so much for your passion mixed with a little passive-aggression.
Steve Jewett
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judith2you
September 11, 2018 at 8:41 am
Oh My! What a lovely comment! I’m glad that Judith feels like an old friend – and there are lots of friends here. I continue to look for new friends and still hope to visit them all.
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Limbach
April 26, 2018 at 4:38 pm
Large Tapisserie, Wandteppich, 16 / 17th.Flandern. Gobelin ! Tapestry ! Verdure (Artikelnummer: 152984968777) judith and holofernes.
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judith2you
September 11, 2018 at 11:11 am
Thank you for the connection to the eBay sale of the tapestry. Because I was so late in opening your comment – alas – the item was sold. Although in truth, it was more than I can afford. But it is rewarding to know (1) such items exist for sale, (2) someone else purchased a tapestry depicting Judith, and (3) I can save my pennies for the next item on eBay. Keep looking!
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Ian Lowell
February 16, 2019 at 10:28 am
There is also this recent BBC Radio 4 podcast:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0002hl7
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Ian Lowell
February 16, 2019 at 10:29 am
And also this book:
https://www.gorgiaspress.com/women-in-drag
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judith2you
July 22, 2019 at 1:07 am
Thank you for your comments and connections. Sorry it took so long to respond since the blog was dormant for awhile. I’m anxious to listen to the podcast and will consult my local library about the book!
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Karen Robertson
November 5, 2019 at 11:08 am
I am so glad to have come across your blog. I have been looking at Judiths for a while and your blog is a total inspiration (as well as guide). You might appreciate this story. About 25 years ago I took extensive notes on the Gentileschi in Naples in my Blue Guide which someone stole the next day. I wonder what they thought. Karen Robertson
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judith2you
November 5, 2019 at 4:42 pm
I’m so glad to hear from you. If the fates allow, I plan to visit Naples next summer to see the Gentileschi. I wonder what your notes would have added to my observations!
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Larry Derfner
December 5, 2020 at 1:19 am
I love your website. I’d like to post some photos of the menorahs you have on a blog for Hanukkah on my own website, with appropriate credit to you of course. May I do so? Thank you in advance. Miriam Feinberg Vamosh
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judith2you
December 5, 2020 at 2:13 am
Certainly you are welcome to celebrate Hanukkah with Judith! I glad the website has entertained and edified.
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Wim van der Meer
November 24, 2021 at 5:23 pm
What an amazing website! What a relief to see the internet is not only junk. I’m working on a post about Judith and I will certainly refer to this treasure trove.
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judith2you
November 24, 2021 at 8:28 pm
So glad you like it! I continue to pursue Judith and have plans to make more in-person visits (delayed 2 years by Covid-19).
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Wim van der Meer
November 25, 2021 at 2:18 am
Am I right that you have not included any Tintorettos?
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Wim van der Meer
November 25, 2021 at 3:13 am
I found them, sorry for the confusion, How could I think you missed them.
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judith2you
December 26, 2021 at 10:39 am
I’m glad you found then and am so sorry I missed this comment in a timely manner.
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Cate
February 19, 2022 at 6:51 pm
Hi Judith – I am search for Karen LaBarga face jugs, mermaids, sailors, and other pottery. I just love Karen so much and must make do with finding her wonderful pieces of art when ever they pop up. Do you know any collectors that may be willing to sell a piece from their collections?
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