I just finished this piece last week, I had been working on it for the past month or so. The basis of the story is that Holofernes was this great general for the Assyrian army that was threatening the Jewish people. The night before a great battle, Judith snuck into the Assyrian Generals tent and seduced him. As he was sleeping she took a sword and cut his head off. The next day as the armies gathered, the Jews laid Holofernes body in the middle of the field and the Assyrian army fled. Judith is one of many incredibly strong Jewish women depicted in the Old Testament. I have been wanting to do this painting for a long time now. Now that it is done, I am thinking of creating a triptych out of the theme, we'll see how much time I will have in the upcoming year...
or, How I am Learning to Slay the Mighty Blue Whale