Artemisia Gentileschi

“Judith Slaying Holofernes” : Girls’ got vengeance

It is not difficult to admire Baroque artist, Artemisia Gentileschi. Her biography is one of despair made into beautiful creations. Gentileschi was a trained artist by her father’s hand who most likely had exposed her to sexual abuse as well as hired her mentor, Agustino Tassi, who she was later raped and abused by. Artemisia tried to speak but the trials against her rapist later resulted in her torturing and painful physical examinations. Through all of her tragedy came beautiful and powerful works of art. Her heavily chiaro-scuro style works often depict gender versus gender situations and psychologically twisting affairs. In this painting, Gentileschi reveals her desire for revenge in a beautiful, Carrivagio-esque depiction of Judith slaying her male enemy, Holofernes. In the tail of Holofernes, the Hebrews defeated him through Judith’s sly tactics of seduction and rage. A truely femenist story, just as Artemisia painted. She painted her revenge; possibly the most exquisite revenge I have ever seen.

Le Vent Frais

J’etais dans Julian le derinere semain.

Ripened and mature: a cultured juice

Le Vin Rouge

I picked up a bottle of Red Wine yesterday on a whim. I’m really inspired by the intensity of Red Wine. There is something so sophisticated and mature about holding a glass of Red Wine. It isn’t so much delicious to me as it is interesting. It’s satisfying to encase the glass in my hand and take in the robust, fermented scent; that’s why I take a drink. I don’t think I would be as enthused about a duller drink with the same taste, unfortunately. Yet the attractive hue and opacity alone makes me crave this rich beverage. It’s really difficult not to take into account the ardent coloring of Red Wine, especially in our culture.No one can ignore the powerful pigment of Red Wine. For example, Billy Mays(RIP) always made it known that Red Wine was a difficult stain to tackle, practically impossible(except for Oxiclean).  And of course it is always known to soap operas and teen dramas are infamous for Red Wine stains on pretty white dresses and freshly ironed dress-shirts. I would love to experiment with this deafening staining ability. Perhaps I may find myself wearing Red Wine-stained clothing someday.It’s hard not to appreciate one of the worlds favorite alcoholic drinks. France alone produces over 5.5 million tonnes of wine a year, approximately half of that being varieties of Red Wine. America comes in second but we all know how much the average housewife loves her “glass of Red Wine at dinner”.

So raise a glass to maturity, and cheers to Red Wine.