Judith Beheading Holofernes

The moment of the killing itself — not before, not after. Judith is a young girl in a white blouse, arms extended stiffly, brow furrowed as she saws through the neck of the Assyrian general. The horror is that she looks uncertain, almost fastidious. Her elderly servant Abra grips the shroud with predatory readiness. Holofernes's mouth is open in a scream, his eyes rolled up. The blood spurts in three distinct jets — Caravaggio studied executions to get it right.