Artemisia Gentileschi's and Guercino's "Judith and Holofernes" and "Samson Captured by the Philistines"

The main aim of the comparison of pieces of artwork is to see how different artists use their skills to condense a story into paintings that can be easily understood. A painting artwork by Artemisia Gentileschi, an Italian, Oil on Canvas, shows a woman who looks relatively weak, as evidenced by other two holding her from either side. It is in a king’s place, as the King is seen seated on his royal seat in front of them. A comparison on the level of comfort between the king on the right hand of the painting with the women on the left explains something about the states at which the two parties are in. it is very clear that the woman is in some level of suffering, while the king is contented with what affects his life. She’s possibly mourning over a certain matter which may not be explained accurately just by the look on the same (Gentileschi).

Content

A painting artwork by Guercino, Samson Captured by Philippines, shows a man surrounded by many people, with some holding his hands, maybe in a bid to contain him, as evidenced by the way he appears strong (Guercino). This piece is a contradiction of Gentileschi’s work, in which the subject matter appeared weak and needed support. Events taking place here are likely to be a contradiction to those in Artemisia’s work. An atmosphere of aggression and difficulty is likely to be experienced in Guercino’s, and the exact opposite of the same happening in Artemisia’s.

The two pieces of work reveal the human nature of dealing on matters affecting them by use of an equivalent force to that exerted by the situation at hand. In Artemisia’s artwork, the state in which the woman was in, needed warm support from those around her. They did not have to use any act of force against it, as this would not bring expected results for the matter. In Guarcino’s work, the person (under captivity) uses so much force that necessitates the use of at least an equivalent amount of opposition in order to calm the situation. It seems all those around him are teaming up to provide the right amount of energy to achieve the objective. This, when explained/related to real life experience might be the nature of humanity that favors collective responsibility while dealing with matters affecting a bigger percentage of the community; how people team up in order to deal with a situation in the best way possible for their betterment of those affected.

Artemisi’s work, when explained in relation to the biblical story, is about Esther, King Ahasuerus’ wife, who is on a mission to meet the king (Ahasuerus). She aims at presenting her people’s needs to him and finds it best to violate the traditional way of accessing the palace. This was a risky act, as such an offense was dealt on mercilessly.  It could claim one’s dear life (Gentileschi). It’s possible that following the right procedures was likely to render her plans futile, and the result would be an unanticipated bloodshed. She was lucky that the end result was positive for her. King Ahasuerus addressed the needs of Esther’s satisfaction.

Artwork by Jacopo Tintoretto, The miracle of Loaves and Fishes, shows two men and a boy standing at the center of relatively many people, with some seated and others standing. Far behind this group of people is a very big crowd of whom, together with those surrounding the two men and the boy, seem to be expecting something from them (the two men and the boy). Still, the ones looked up to, seem to perform different roles. One of the men is seen to be taking some food materials from a basket held by the boy. The other man seems to be transferring what he’s given to those next to him. On the foreground is a tray of fish which seem to be part of what is going to be distributed in the same way (Tintoretto).

This is a condensation of a biblical of a biblical story about five thousand people who had been affected by hunger. By use of his miracles, he used five loaves of bread and two fishes from the boy, multiplied them, enough to feed all those affected. The painting shows women and children being on the forefront to receive the miraculous aid, which depicts the human nature of caring/giving first priority to the more vulnerable in the society. The act of feeding such a number of people was general evidence of Jesus’ caring nature, an act of charity and selflessness.

Artwork by Mattia Preti, Pilate Washing His Hands, shows a man holding a vessel on his laps. The positioning of his hands inside the container suggests that he was probably washing them in some liquid. The appearance of his face towards those around him suggests that he was probably seeking confirmation/witness from them, that he, indeed did it. According to the actual biblical story, Pilate washes his hands to symbolize non-commitment to the act that led the death of Jesus (Preti). The symbolic act meant that he was not associated in any way with the bloodshed that eventually came to be. He believed that the accused (Jesus) was innocent and did not deserve conviction for any offense.

An artwork by Francisco de Zurbahan, The Battle between Christians and Moors at El Sotillio, shows a painting that has two parts, the upper having a woman holding a child with other children seated around her. The lower part shows men on horses holding spears in a manner to suggest that they are on a war mission. The woman and children are in a lighted place while the other group is in a dark one. Those in the lower part (men with spears) are next to structure in the shape of an ordinary chapel (as if it is the targeted point of executing their plans to destroy). Those on the upper part seem to be watching from a safe place, the activities being done by those in the lower. The fact that the top group is unarmed, not like the ones below, might be a condensed story of a group that plans to harm the other by taking advantage of their vulnerability (De Zurbaran).

The artwork condenses a story about a Moorish army which was planning to destroy Spanish Christians. This was in 1370 when a light was shed upon the enemies that saved the targeted group from a possible bloodshed. This light was seen as miraculous, as its final result was life-saving. Those in the upper part of the painting symbolize the innocent Spanish group who were able to see the evil plan that was meant to destroy them (a secret revealed to the Spanish army). It enabled the latter mobilize strategies that eventually saved their own (Decker).

An artwork by Nicolas Poussin, Abduction of the Sabine Women, shows a man who seems prestigious (probably a king or any other person who ranks higher in authority), standing on a raised platform. Below are men carrying women, probably taking them to a different location from the original. Other men seem to resist the acts in a manner to suggest that the previous action was being done against their will. Those doing the carrying hold weapons such as swords and spears which shows prior preparedness against an attack that would be aimed at them during the mission. It seems that those trying to discourage the activity are so vulnerable and any effort they make is rendered futile, as the man standing on the platform seems to side with the kidnappers (Poussin).

This artwork condenses a story about a situation that occurred during the establishment of Romulus’ kingdom. The kingdom had relatively more many males than females, that the best option to curb the problem of mature males seeking spouses was to seek females from other tribes. They tried the approach with the Sabines for long, without significant success. Since their plea met with dumb ears, and a solution was needed in urgency, Romulus planned to kidnap Women from Sabine. It is stated that, by use of treachery, he organized a festival that was attended by most of his neighboring tribes. It is during the same that the king, by use of special signals, commanded his male followers to accomplish the mission. This was best achieved by fighting the Sabine men.

Conclusion

A painting artwork by Artemisia Gentileschi, an Italian, Oil on Canvas, shows a woman who looks relatively weak, as evidenced by other two holding her from either side. A painting artwork by Guercino, Samson Captured by Philippines, shows a man surrounded by many people, with some holding his hands, maybe in a bid to contain him. The two pieces of work reveal the human nature of dealing on matters affecting them by use of an equivalent force to that exerted by the situation at hand.

Works Cited

De Zurbaran. "The Battle Between Christians an Moors at EL Sotilio." 1637.

Decker. "Moors Vs Christians." 2011.

Gentileschi. "Esther Before Ahasuerus." 1969.

Guercino. "Samson Captured by the Philistines." 1619.

Poussin. "Abduction of Sabine Women." n.d.

Preti. "Pilate Washing His Hands." n.d.

Tintoretto. "The Miracle of Five Loaves and Fishes." 1545.