Judith Beheading Holofernes

Caravaggio painted Judith Beheading Holofernes around 1599, one of his most dramatically violent and psychologically intense works. The painting depicts the biblical heroine in the act of decapitation, with her face showing both determination and revulsion. The model for Judith may have been the courtesan Fillide Melandroni, who appeared in several of Caravaggio's paintings. The work exemplifies Caravaggio's revolutionary naturalism that transformed European painting.

The painting demonstrates Caravaggio's mastery of dramatic chiaroscuro, with the three figures spotlit against a nearly black background. The shocking realism of the spurting blood and Holofernes's agonized expression set a new standard for the depiction of violence in art.