This powerful and visceral painting is “Judith Beheading Holofernes” by Artemisia Gentileschi, painted around 1612–1613. It depicts the biblical story from the Book of Judith, where Judith seduces and then beheads the Assyrian general Holofernes to save her people. Gentileschi’s version stands apart from all others (including Caravaggio’s) for its ferocity, realism, and emotional truth — an image of female strength and vengeance painted by a woman who herself endured violence and injustice. Judi

Judith beheading Holofernes | Artemisia | National Gallery