Gustav Klimt was a famous Austrian symbolist painter who has created over 80 paintings, murals, and sketches. His subject of interest was the female body. One particular painting named Judith and the Head of Holofernes, also known as Judith I. Many of Klimt's paintings feature a female heroine with partial or full nudity ("Biography"). Ironically, nudity is regularly a dehumanizing feature that takes power away from women but the women that Klimt paints appear powerful despite being nude. Judith I has this unique quality within it, as well as several other signs of power. Klimt demonstrates the power Judith through her physical appearance, depictions of wealth, as well as other small specific details throughout the painting.

The physical appearance of Judith and her physical location on the canvas prove her power in the story that the painting tells. Judith's face has strong masculine features. She has prominent cheekbones and a well-defined nose. Features such as these are not commonly attributed femininity because women are supposed to have soft lines and a comforting face. Judith is a hero, and a warrior with great power, greater power than men; therefore she has sharp features and strong expression to attribute to her power. On the canvas, she is quite literally above man. In the far bottom right corner, the head of a man can be seen. Judith's hand pushes the head down almost as though she is lifting herself up above him. Men are generally seen as more powerful and as the decision makers over women, but instead Klimt depicts Judith as on top with her eyes looking down on him (Klimt). She holds more power than man based on her location above him. The two are on two different levels, both in terms of location and dress.

There are certain characteristics that convey power, like wealth. The clothes and jewelry that people wear generally are the best clue about whether people are wealthy or not. Judith appears in a bright, metallic, green gown that is adorned in a golden pattern, but it has been pulled open to show both the breast and the stomach. The material that the gown is made of appears silky in nature. To accompany her dress, she wears gold bangles around her arm, and a bejeweled chocker around her neck (Klimt). All of these items just exude wealth and money. Unlike Judith, the man that appears in this painting shows no sign of wealth. He appears dark and unclean and his hair is grossly overgrown (Klimt). People of wealth or money have power over those who do not. Therefore, Judith has absolute power over the poor man in the corner. While these main features first lead viewers to the overwhelming theme of power, there are several other underlying features that reflect the theme as well. Klimt did not just use big picture features to covey power but rather every inch of the painting. 

There are several little details that if looked at closely enough, definitely add to Judith's power. The detail that stands out the most out is how Klimt's color and line choices draw viewers first to Judith and later to the man. Judith appears bright and bold, in her skin tone and in her clothing. While the man and the woman are of the same ethnicity, Klimt's use of reds and pale oranges to color Judith, versus the tan and brown used on the man, draws our eyes immediately towards her, leaving him as an afterthought (Klimt). The path Klimt created through hand and eye positioning also leads the viewer the low positioned man. The first noticeable thing is Judith's eyes, which are downcast. These are seen first because the face attracts the on looker and the eyes being closed is not characteristically seen in a painting of a woman. From there we skip immediately past her open breast to her horizontal arm due to the line created by Judith's eyes. By following the length of her arm, we finally end up at the man's head. These artistic choices lead to power because Klimt makes Judith the primary subject of the painting by drawing the viewer to her first. This leaves on lookers to notice the man after the woman has been thoroughly noted and inspected. 

The last main evidence of power within the piece is Klimt's selective use of detailing. It is clear that Judith her self is wildly detailed through her sharp lines and bright clothes, the man below her is darker and less visible, and the final piece of this painting in the background that they stand before (Klimt). The bushes and tree behind them look almost like a quick unfinished sketch that was tossed onto the canvas last minute. By making the background unimportant and slightly unpleasing to the eye, it draws us yet again back to the subject of the painting, Judith, putting her detail and importance above all else.

The work of art by Gustav Klimt known as Judith and the Head of Holofernes, or Judith I, simply screams power. Whether its smaller details like that of color choice, or where the eye is drawn, to a much larger feature like Judith's physical appearance and location on the actual canvas. There are so many things about this particular piece that can be picked out to counteract Klimt's decision to paint her as a partial nude. Nudity is a common feature that generally strips a woman of her power and dehumanizes her but instead in this piece it adds to her masculinity. Everything about Judith puts her on top on man, quite literally, and in terms of importance. Judith, in turn, has stripped man of all his power leaving him as a lowly after thought instead of the subject.
