Description:
Samson and Delilah: biblical story; bible; old testament;
Label Text:
This climactic scene from the biblical story of Samson and Delilah was a favorite subject of many seventeenth-century Flemish artists, including Peter Paul Rubens, after whose painting (of c. 1609-10) this was modeled. The print captures the moment when Samson has realized that his lover, Delilah, has betrayed him by cutting his long hair, the secret to his strength. As he awakens, he is overpowered by Philistine soldiers while Delilah still holds the scissors in her hand.
Demarteau’s signature technique was the “crayon manner” or stipple method, in which the image is built up from tiny dots to evoke the texture of chalk or crayon marks, making it resemble a drawing.
His delicate treatment of such a dramatic tale offers some interesting visual contradictions. Delilah’s sugary-sweet smile disguises her cunning and betrayal, and the overall softened lines in the work compete with the soldiers’ tense features.
Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=SC+1938.11.1 |
