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The Absinthe Drinker, 1901

Pablo Picasso

Artemisia Gentileschi, c. 1614–1620, Oil on canvas

This is one of the most intense and unforgettable scenes in Baroque art.

Judith, a widow from the Hebrew Bible, has entered the tent of the Assyrian general Holofernes. After getting him drunk, she and her maidservant kill him to save her people. Many artists painted this moment, but Artemisia Gentileschi’s version is especially direct and powerful.

There’s no dramatic pause or symbolic gesture here — she shows the moment of the act itself: Judith steady, focused, sleeves rolled up, while Holofernes struggles against her. The blood sprays, his limbs tense, and the physical effort of the women is clear. It's unflinching.

Artemisia was one of the most prominent female painters of the Baroque era, and her life shaped her art. She was trained by her father, Orazio Gentileschi, and later survived a traumatic experience involving one of his colleagues — a fellow artist who assaulted her. Artemisia took him to court and endured a public trial, including torture to test her testimony.