Musing 12 July or art and artist's dates

Content warning: Images of a rather gruesome work of Renaissance art.

In The Artist's Way Julia Cameron advises two regular practices: morning pages and artist's dates. I am inconsistent with both while I understand their importance and feel the benefits when done. I rarely manage to write first thing in the morning more than a few days (the animals! PT! tea!) and I forget to schedule regular artist's dates. In some ways, these musings are taking the place of artist pages, but I know it's not the same. 

Failings aside, yesterday I went on an artist's date and it was everything I might have hoped. I came home full of feelings and ideas. It was lovely and I wanted to share it with you. The Minneapolis Institute of Art is currently hosting Caravaggio's Judith and Holofernes. I've seen reprints and countless images online, but I wanted to see the real thing. It was worth it.

You may not know the story. It's from The Book of Judith, an Old Testament book not included in many official accountings of the bible. It tells the story of Judith, a widow. Her city is besieged by the Assyrians. She decided to take matters into her own hands, and approached the Assyrian general Holofernes. 

She approaches him and he desires her. She promises him the goods, goes to his tent with her maid, and gets him drunk. When he is insensate, she cuts off his head. The Assyrians leave and Judith brings his head back to her village to stand as a warning to any other potential invaders. 

It's a gruesome and powerful story that reminds me that I am not powerless. I hope I am never driven to cut off someone's head, but I can decide to take matters into my own hands and create meaningful change.

I've always loved Caravaggio works, and especially this one. Taking the time to see it in person is worthwhile. It's an amazing artwork and there are details I hadn't noticed in online perusal. For example, look at the intensity of their expressions:

The lines of determination on Judith's forehead and her mild disgust; the grim determination of her nurse, the shock on Holofernes face; and the tight grip the nurse has on the cloth to collect the head, those are hands that have worked. It's amazing.

If you're interested, there are other paintings on this subject. Some of my favorites are Trophime Bigot's and Artemisia Gentileschi's.

This artist's date did what I hoped. I came home invigorated and revived, not to cut off the head of an unwanted person, but to write, create, and revel in noticing details. It reminded me of myself in meaningful ways. That's what the best art (even art I don't care for or find troubling) does for me, it brings me home changed and revived, seeing the world in new ways, and eager to create, share, thrive.

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