Salome with the head of St John the Baptist - Essay Example

History Carlo Dolci Salome with the Head of St John the Baptist Introduction Paintings have been part of rich cultural heritages for centuries now. They provide ambience on surfaces on which they are embedded. Additionally, they are attractions that provide revenue to places like museums and other attraction sites. It is for this reason that original paintings are held with high esteem and are highly valued. This assignment provides a comprehensive discussion on Salome with the Head of St John the Baptist which was a painting by Carlo Dolci that is believed to have been painted in 1680s. The assignment also provides an in-depth analysis of the painting on the basis of its artist, subject matter and technique. Discussion The painting named Salome is one of the many artistic works by Carlo Dolci. Salome is said to be the lady in the painting. In the painting, Salome is carrying St. John the Baptist’s head. The painting is believed to have been painted in 1680s and was once paired by another equally gory painting showing David while carrying Goliath’s head. The two paintings depicted the beheading of two famous biblical figures; John the Baptist and David. According to these two paintings, their theme was the cruel deaths of biblical heroes who were murdered in mysterious circumstances. That notwithstanding, Carlo Dolci’s painting was also an illustration of one of the most agonizing scenes ever recorded in the bible (Spike, Michelangelo, & Michèle, 131). When it comes to the art, the painting was professionally done. The colors were chosen according to the theme. Most importantly, the look on Salome’s face as depicted in the painting was a clear illustration of the mood of the painting. One can readily tell the mood of the painting from merely looking at it. This implies that one does not have to read the illustrations of the painting in order to tell the message that Carlo Dolci intended to pass in his work. Black color is always associated with evil or some sort of calamities. Carlo Dolci chose to use black color as the background color of the painting. This was a clear indication of his intention of portraying the arrest and subsequent beheading of John the Baptist. The painting also shows Salome’s head tilted on the left; and impression of the melancholy Salome was going though. Some have argued that her bent neck did not show melancholy passé. They argued that Salome would not be saddened by John’s beheading and yet she is the one who sanctioned his murder. Instead, they said that she is looking a way in a manner that suggested that she was afraid of the dead man’s head on a silver plate (Spike, Michelangelo, & Michèle, 131). The idea of the painting was borrowed from the bible and precisely from the book of Mathew chapter 14 from verse 6 to 11. The story of John the Baptist and his murder can also be found in the book of Mark chapter. Salome’s mother got married to her brother in law, Herod, who was also the Jewish king. John the Baptist largely condemned this relationship and termed it bigamous. However, Salome’s mother was determined to keep her relationship with the king and persuaded the king to have John the Baptist arrested. On his birthday, King Herod promised his daughter Salome anything she wanted after she danced at his birthday feast. Salome was at liberty to ask for anything she wanted and thought of consulting her mother on this. As a way of getting back at John the Baptist for having opposed her relationship with the king, Salome’s mother persuaded her to ask for John’s head. She did exactly as advised by her mother and as a result, the king ordered the beheading of John the Baptist. Salome then carried John’s head to the king in a silver plate (Spike, Michelangelo, & Michèle, 131). Carlo Dolci was inspired by this turn of events and decided to come up with a painting to illustrate the events. It is thought that Carlo Dolci was a highly religious person whose works of art were intended to instigate piety in their observers. Initially, he was accustomed to creating large altarpieces but these were later replaced by single figures like Salome with the Head of St John the Baptist. Just like in this painting, most of Carlo Dolci’s paintings had beautifully executed costumes and facial expressions that invited close examination from viewers. Head of St. John the Baptist reflection of its meaning and invokes thoughts from its observers. The painting shows Salome dressed in bejeweled and overblown dress; an indication of the centuries of the people that beheaded the saintly innocent John the Baptist. Similarly, the glance of Salome could be judged as less triumphant and more thoughtful as an indication that she had just realized the weight of what she had done. She had just caused the death of an innocent man of God (Spike, Michelangelo, & Michèle, 131). Carlo Dolci was born in Florence and began painting in Jacop Vignali studio in 1625. He is thought to have widely studied Netherlandish painting because he painted a number of paintings largely related to Netherland cultures. During his career, Carlo Dolci developed high attention to details and endeavored to come up with highly refined and detailed religious pictures. He became a member of the Academia del Giordano that was based in Florence in 1648. During his time in the association, he received numerous awards that played a significant role in developing his career. He even taught his daughter Agnes in his large studio. It is worth noting that Carlo Dolci’s works were held with high esteem by the English aristocracy during the 17th century. He became famous for painting religious paintings that sold cross continents. Nonetheless, his fame began diminishing in the 19th century during the times of other renowned painters like John Ruskin (Spike, Michelangelo, & Michèle, 131). His reputation was attacked and his works criticized by the painters of these centuries as a way of gaining fame as well. Despite all these backslashes, Carlo Dolci remains one of the highly respected painters because of precision. Conclusion Salome with the Head of St John the Baptist Salome is one of the many artistic works by Carlo Dolci. Salome is said to be the lady in the painting. In the painting, Salome is carrying St. John the Baptist’s head. The painting is believed to have been painted in 1680s and was once paired by another equally gory painting showing David while carrying Goliath’s head. The idea of the painting was borrowed from the bible and precisely from the book of Mathew chapter 14 from verse 6 to 11. The story of John the Baptist and his murder can also be found in the book of Mark chapter. Salome’s mother got married to her brother in law, Herod, who was also the Jewish king. John the Baptist largely condemned this relationship and termed it bigamous. However, Salome’s mother was determined to keep her relationship with the king and persuaded the king to have John the Baptist arrested. Works Cited Spike, John T, Michelangelo M. Caravaggio, and Michèle K. Spike. Caravaggio. New York: Abbeville Press, 2010. Print. Read More