Representations and analysis of Judith and Holofernes as an archetype from the Renaissance to contemporary art

The archetype is a universal model of symbols. Because of their universal nature, archetypal characters and stories reappear in myths in many different cultures. Archetypal myths explain the nature of the world and life. While some aspects of these myths have remarkable cultural similarities, others have their own cultural characteristics and these characteristics are the cornerstones of the cultural structure. These myths are also at the root of gender hierarchies formed in the cultures of societies. Woman is seen as two archetypes in creation myths. The first is the mother archetype, which is the symbol of good qualities (obedience, purity, self-sacrifice, care). The second is that death, God's punishment to humanity after the Fall, which was supposedly responsible for the downfall of the "Eve" man, is attributed to her. She is the mortal female, possessing the qualities of willingness, independence, curiosity, and disobedience, creating chaos by disrupting God's supposed order of creation. Many archetypes of women as creators of chaos appear in myths. These creation stories have helped shape views about woman and her body in all cultures that have existed. In the 19th century, this fatal female archetype entered the literature as Femme Fatale. Within the scope of this information, selected works of Judith, which is included in the Apocrypha text of the Old Testament, from Renaissance art to Modern art, were examined in the context of the Femme Fatale archetype, taking into account the social dynamics of the period. In addition to Judith's works, in terms of being exemplary, women's archetypes reflecting the social Femme Fatale archetype of the period were included in the analysis framework of the study. It is also presented in the works produced within the scope of the subject.