Judith and Holofernes

'Judith and Holofernes' is a powerful work in the collection of Francisco de Goya's 14 Black Paintings, created amidst a period of personal despair and disillusionment during his later years. Painted in oil directly on the plaster walls of his home, the Quinta del Sordo, this piece reflects a fusion of Romanticism and a deep, personal reinvention of quite a traditional religious painting narrative. The painting builds on the biblical story from the Book of Judith where Judith saves Israel by seducing and subsequently beheading the general, Holofernes. Given Goya's technique of oil on plaster, as opposed to canvas, the work's visceral, dark qualities are magnified further, underlining his troubled state and the savage nature of the biblical tale.