Judith with the Head of Holofernes
c. 1580
Paolo Veronese (1528 - 1588)
Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien
"In the hands of Veronese even this gloomy scene gains in solemnity by – initially – focusing on stark colours to emphasise the heroine’s worldly beauty. Only on closer inspection do we catch sight of Holofernes’ dark head and the sack that is ready to contain it, held by the servant. It is exactly this contrast between light and dark, between beauty and terror, which gives the picture its Mannerist charm." www.khm.at/en/objectdb/detail/390/?lv=detail
In this context, I highly recommend the oratorio 'Juditha triumphans' (RV 644) by Antonio Vivaldi. This is more than two hours of the most gripping, fantastic music (in fact, discovering Vivaldi's sacred vocal music is like discovering a continent). Here is the link to a particularly well done concert: www.youtube.com/watch?v=dd_2D9Rg_Tk
As an appetiser, I recommend the aria 'Armatæ face et anguibus'. You can get there by clicking on 'SHOW MORE' under the video and then on '02:00:01'. Don't miss this art delight!
Judith with the Head of Holofernes
c. 1580
Paolo Veronese (1528 - 1588)
Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien
"In the hands of Veronese even this gloomy scene gains in solemnity by – initially – focusing on stark colours to emphasise the heroine’s worldly beauty. Only on closer inspection do we catch sight of Holofernes’ dark head and the sack that is ready to contain it, held by the servant. It is exactly this contrast between light and dark, between beauty and terror, which gives the picture its Mannerist charm." www.khm.at/en/objectdb/detail/390/?lv=detail
In this context, I highly recommend the oratorio 'Juditha triumphans' (RV 644) by Antonio Vivaldi. This is more than two hours of the most gripping, fantastic music (in fact, discovering Vivaldi's sacred vocal music is like discovering a continent). Here is the link to a particularly well done concert: www.youtube.com/watch?v=dd_2D9Rg_Tk
As an appetiser, I recommend the aria 'Armatæ face et anguibus'. You can get there by clicking on 'SHOW MORE' under the video and then on '02:00:01'. Don't miss this art delight!