"Flesh and Blood," power and manipulation

I’ll admit it: I’m mostly here for the beheading.

Artemisia Gentileschi, “Judith Slaying Holofernes” at Seattle Art Museum

The experience of seeing “Judith Slaying Holofernes” ranks up there with the first time I saw the Mona Lisa in person. Actually, Artemisia Gentileschi’s painting is a bit more impressive: it’s much larger and dynamic (and bloodier, of course). I definitely got an eyeful at the “Flesh and Blood” exhibit of Renaissance paintings on loan to the Seattle Art Museum.

But besides the color and violence, you can’t miss the underlying themes of power and manipulation. If you know “Judith Slaying Holofernes,” you probably know it’s often linked to Gentileschi’s own rape and trial. There’s another murder scene (of Cain and Abel) in this room, but it looks like a sexual assault.

Lionello Spada, “Cain and Abel”

And although Atalanta is just running a race against Hippomenes, he still overpowers her with the magical golden apples. A princess loses her independence to a cheater tossing around shiny stuff. (Distracted by gold? Aren’t princesses usually SURROUNDED by gold and jewels?)

I know… different time, different place and context. And this traveling exhibit was planned years in advance. But in light of the #metoo movement, it’s even more difficult to separate the pretty pictures from the underlying coercion.