Judith

About this artwork

Gustav Klimt's *Judith* (1901), an oil and gold leaf painting on canvas measuring 84 × 42 cm, reimagines a timeless biblical tale from the Book of Judith. In the story, the chaste widow Judith plies the Assyrian general Holofernes wine before beheading him to save her from invasion—a motif beloved in Western art for its drama and themes of heroism and seduction. Created during Klimt's affiliation with the Vienna Secession, which rebelled against conservative academic art, this work exemplifies his Symbolist style, blending eroticism with ornate decoration. Klimt transforms the biblical heroine into a mesmerizing femme fatale, her half-closed eyes and parted lips exuding lascivious intensity. Gold leaf adorns her hair and jewelry, evoking Byzantine mosaics and adding a luminous, otherworldly glow that heightens her sensual power. The severed head of Holofernes appears hidden at first glance, cradled tenderly in her hands as if dismissed from the, shifting focus from violence to Judith's triumphant femininity. Housed in Vienna's Bel Collection, *Judith* captures fin-de-siècle tensions around gender, desire, and politics, recasting a tale of national deliverance as a battle of the sexes. Klimt's bold portrayal cements her as an icon of dangerous allure, inviting viewers to ponder the seductive strength of women in art and history.