Difference between revisions of "Esther's Second Banquet in Art/0/en"
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<h2>Introduction</h2> | <h2>Introduction</h2> | ||
| − | <p>The book of Esther reaches its climax in Chapter 7 when Esther beseeches Achashverosh for her life and, in the process, accuses Haman. This banquet scene is a favorite of artists, and is shown here as depicted by | + | <p>The book of Esther reaches its climax in Chapter 7 when Esther beseeches Achashverosh for her life and, in the process, accuses Haman. This banquet scene is a favorite of artists, and is shown here as depicted by J. Victors,<fn>Jan Victors(1619-1679) was a Dutch painter who painted mainly Biblical subjects, but also portraits, historical scenes and genre paintings. He was influenced by Rembrandt van Rijn. This work can be found in Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Kassel, Germany.</fn> E. Normand,<fn>Ernest Normand (1859–1923) was an English painter. This image is housed in the Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens, Tyne and Wear, UK.</fn> and J. Steen.<fn>Jan Steen (1626 –1679) was a Dutch genre painter, known for both his humor and use of color. Though he focused on painting scenes from everyday life, he also painted historical, mythological, and religious subjects. This painting is housed in Museum Bredius in The Hague.</fn> Each of the artists focuses on the threesome of Esther, Achashverosh and Haman, but differs both in the choice of which secondary characters and objects to include, and in the depiction of the figures' interactions, stance and expressions. These variations allow for different understandings of both Esther and Achashverosh's character and motives.</p> |
</div> | </div> | ||
<category>Contrasting Images | <category>Contrasting Images | ||
| − | <subcategory name=""> | + | <subcategory name="">Victors |
| − | <p></p> | + | <p>Victors' image is the sparsest of the three, featuring just the three protagonists around the banquet table. Esther stands in the back with her body and face positioned towards Acahshverosh, but her hand stretched towards Haman. The two men sit across from each other, the king adorned in red and Haman robed in black. The king glares at Haman, raising a staff in one hand and clenching the other into a fist. His anger is clearly visible but seems controlled. Haman, in turn, looks not at Achashverosh but at Esther. His hands clasp together anxiously as he awaits his fate.</p> |
</subcategory> | </subcategory> | ||
| − | <subcategory name=""> | + | <subcategory name="">Normand |
| − | <p></p> | + | <p>In contrast to Victor's intimate threesome, Normand depicts his figures at a distance from one another, with a scattering of servants displayed in the back. Esther and Haman are highlighted in the foreground, as the white-robed queen kneels and dramatically points an accusing finger at her enemy. Haman reacts by cowering in his chair with his arms raised as if to protect himself from attack. The king, meanwhile, sits in the shadows and appears to be more of an onlooker than a participant in the unfolding drama.</p> |
| + | </subcategory> | ||
| + | |||
| + | <subcategory name="">Steen | ||
| + | <p>Like Normand, Steen too chooses to depict not just the king, queen, and Haman but an audience of servants and courtiers, filling his painting with at least a dozen figures. Achashverosh takes center stage, standing with one hand raised to strike and the other clamped in a tight fist. He seems to teeter slightly backwards, from either drink, or rage, or both. Directly in front of him, his wine goblet is featured prominently, and one servant on each side of the image carries a pitcher, ready to refill it. Esther sits to the viewer's left, a hand clenched to her bosom while the extremely distraught Haman looks at the floor, his face a mask of dismay.</p> | ||
</subcategory> | </subcategory> | ||
</category> | </category> | ||
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<category>Relationship to the Biblical Text | <category>Relationship to the Biblical Text | ||
<p>The artists' choices reflect certain ambiguities in the Biblical text and different possible interpretive stances:</p> | <p>The artists' choices reflect certain ambiguities in the Biblical text and different possible interpretive stances:</p> | ||
| − | <subcategory name=""> | + | <subcategory name=""> |
| − | <p></p> | + | <p>While Steen's Achashverosh is clearly full of wrath and even seems on the verge of physical attack, Normand's king seems almost apathetic, watching from afar and just inching forward in his seat to see better. Victor's Achashverosh is somewhere in the middle, visibly upset but still in control. Though the verses clearly state that Achashverosh was filled with fury ("וְהַמֶּלֶךְ קָם בַּחֲמָתוֹ") upon hearing Esther accuse Haman, they do not explain the cause of such a reaction, especially given that Achashverosh should have been privy to Haman's plan from beforehand. Was Achashverosh simply a drunken and fickle king, given to whimsical rages and loss of self control, as might be concluded from Steen's image? Is it possible, as Normand's depiction might suggest,that actually Esther's news did not really shock the king, and the cause of his anger was rooted in other events?</p> |
</subcategory> | </subcategory> | ||
| − | <subcategory name=""> | + | <subcategory name="">Drunken fool? |
<p></p> | <p></p> | ||
</subcategory> | </subcategory> | ||
Version as of 05:35, 25 February 2015
Esther's Second Banquet in Art
Introduction
The book of Esther reaches its climax in Chapter 7 when Esther beseeches Achashverosh for her life and, in the process, accuses Haman. This banquet scene is a favorite of artists, and is shown here as depicted by J. Victors,1 E. Normand,2 and J. Steen.3 Each of the artists focuses on the threesome of Esther, Achashverosh and Haman, but differs both in the choice of which secondary characters and objects to include, and in the depiction of the figures' interactions, stance and expressions. These variations allow for different understandings of both Esther and Achashverosh's character and motives.
Contrasting Images
Victors
Victors' image is the sparsest of the three, featuring just the three protagonists around the banquet table. Esther stands in the back with her body and face positioned towards Acahshverosh, but her hand stretched towards Haman. The two men sit across from each other, the king adorned in red and Haman robed in black. The king glares at Haman, raising a staff in one hand and clenching the other into a fist. His anger is clearly visible but seems controlled. Haman, in turn, looks not at Achashverosh but at Esther. His hands clasp together anxiously as he awaits his fate.
Normand
In contrast to Victor's intimate threesome, Normand depicts his figures at a distance from one another, with a scattering of servants displayed in the back. Esther and Haman are highlighted in the foreground, as the white-robed queen kneels and dramatically points an accusing finger at her enemy. Haman reacts by cowering in his chair with his arms raised as if to protect himself from attack. The king, meanwhile, sits in the shadows and appears to be more of an onlooker than a participant in the unfolding drama.
Steen
Like Normand, Steen too chooses to depict not just the king, queen, and Haman but an audience of servants and courtiers, filling his painting with at least a dozen figures. Achashverosh takes center stage, standing with one hand raised to strike and the other clamped in a tight fist. He seems to teeter slightly backwards, from either drink, or rage, or both. Directly in front of him, his wine goblet is featured prominently, and one servant on each side of the image carries a pitcher, ready to refill it. Esther sits to the viewer's left, a hand clenched to her bosom while the extremely distraught Haman looks at the floor, his face a mask of dismay.
Relationship to the Biblical Text
The artists' choices reflect certain ambiguities in the Biblical text and different possible interpretive stances:
While Steen's Achashverosh is clearly full of wrath and even seems on the verge of physical attack, Normand's king seems almost apathetic, watching from afar and just inching forward in his seat to see better. Victor's Achashverosh is somewhere in the middle, visibly upset but still in control. Though the verses clearly state that Achashverosh was filled with fury ("וְהַמֶּלֶךְ קָם בַּחֲמָתוֹ") upon hearing Esther accuse Haman, they do not explain the cause of such a reaction, especially given that Achashverosh should have been privy to Haman's plan from beforehand. Was Achashverosh simply a drunken and fickle king, given to whimsical rages and loss of self control, as might be concluded from Steen's image? Is it possible, as Normand's depiction might suggest,that actually Esther's news did not really shock the king, and the cause of his anger was rooted in other events?
