Monday, April 8, 2013

Spectacular Death


A Christian Dirce (1897) by the Polish painter Henryk Hector Siemiradzki (1843-1902). Siemiradzki depicted here how a christian martyr is killed in the circus in a kind of re-enactment of the myth of Dirce who was killed by being tied to the horns of a bull. It's a very spectacular scenery from the apex of history painting, a pale beautiful body, a fat decadent Nero, gladiators and exotic Nubian slaves. Much too nice to frighten.

2 comments:

  1. Henryk Hector Siemiradzki got right into that rich, highly decorated Orientalist scene, didn't he? It is an amazing image, even if he chose a pale, very naked and beautiful young woman to be the Christian martyr.

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  2. In these times orientalist and historial subjects were generously mixed. It was mostly about an exotic impact, kindof pre Hollywood.

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