Art has a clever way of evoking feelings and even moods. You can look at a painting with heavy tones of red and it’ll give off a mood of anger or love. Or if the painting has faces on it, you can look at their facial expressions and figure out the emotions that are going on. The art piece that I’ll be analyzing today is The Judgment of Solomon (c.1850 oil on canvas) by Joseph Van Severdonck. This painting was low relief due to the heavy use of shadows. The frantic movement of the two women, the value of the shadows, and the use of space between the king and the people watching in the shadows bring out the intensity of this painting. In this painting, two prostitutes are fighting over whose infant is theirs after one dies. One claimed the …show more content…
You can the one woman on the right reaching for the king as if she is begging him to stop. I also noticed how both of her arms were up and her body was leaned over. This indicated that she somewhat lunged towards the king. This shows the audience that that was the true mother. Due to the other woman being in a frozen stance. It was obvious that it revealed who the true mother is (kingsolomonlegend). Also, you can tell by how relaxed and comfortable the King is that this situation didn’t matter to him. His arm was barely up as if he didn’t care in general. This indicates that the king was used to this kind of thing. Chopping people, even infants, in half was nothing bazaar. If you pay attention to the people in the back as well, you can see that their poster and stance is very laid back. One gentleman is trying to explain what the situation is to the other gentleman. But neither are trying to intervene and stop what’s going on. This could be a symbol for King Solomon’s people’s lack of compassion either for people that are biblically looked down upon or just people in …show more content…
I believe that the village men in the back symbolize King Solomon’s people staying hidden in the shadows because of the fear of punishment if their sins come to light. This then brings me to the natural sunlight shining on King Solomon and the two women. I believe that this symbolizes the exposure of one’s sins. The shadows could also symbolize how the village people don’t matter. How their needs are ignored and just hiding in the shadows. So, the light could symbolize how the king’s wants and needs are always brought to light and exposed to that they can be taken care of immediately. The light could also symbolize wisdom. Even though it was a harsh tactic to use, it brought out the truth. It was a very wise plan despite the potential violence that it could’ve