從Caravaggio的Judith and Holofernes論16、17世紀交替年間之藝術思潮與宗教題材表現上的關聯性

Abstract

”Judith and Holofernes” is one of the earliest history paintings of Caravaggio. The painting fully demonstrates the transformation in Caravaggio's Language of Art and his artistic conception; in addition, it shows that Caravaggio try to establish himself as a history painter of grand manner.Before Caravaggio, the apocryphal story of Judith has already inspired many of the artists and even writers. Nevertheless, Caravaggio is the first artist who depicts the very moment of the beheaded Holofernes as the real subject of the painting. This unexpectedly dramatic moment just as the peripeteia which Aristotle has formulated in his Poetic, brought out the whole narrative tension, and furthermore this is one of the reasons why Caravaggio chooses this moment for the representation. Caravaggio makes great use of contrapposto-principle and pathos-theory to construct and to give each character a specific personality and distinguishing characteristic with the view of enhancing the dramatic effect, expanding the interpretative possibilities of the painting.After the Reformation, the representation of the religious subject matters emphasizes the emotional resonance between spectators and characters in painting. During this period of time the drama has been exploited as a method of moral education and religious advocacy. Under such premise scenes of violence and tragic events were to be rationalized. The expressive of language in Caravaggio's Judith seems to have reflected the theoretical debate on theatrical performances.Even though the story of Judith is a religious theme, Caravaggio's painting of Judith belongs to a private collection as Kabinettstueck; consequently, it does not need to follow the strict decorum of the religious paintings which have to be exposed in public places. Therefore, the cautious analysis of the painting of Judith will help us to deeply understand the development of artistic language of Caravaggio, and to widely explore his aesthetic conception and the expressive meanings of the painting.