Recently we noticed that there were quite a few versions of the story of Salome in the Library's collection.
Salome, the woman depicted as dangerous in the Bible and depraved by Oscar Wilde, has captured the imaginations of artists and writers for nearly two thousand years. Is it the dark nature of her story that has led so many to dedicate their time to its retelling? In the Gospels of Matthew and Mark, Salome is a girl who dances for Herod Antipas on his birthday. He is so taken with her that he offers her anything she likes. Under her mother’s instruction, the girl requests the head of John the Baptist on a platter, which the sad king feels compelled to deliver.
Salome has become a staple subject for artists. In paintings by Titian, and much later by Moreau, Salome is treated as evil cloaked in innocent beauty. The figure of the girl, especially when depicted with the head of John the Baptist, becomes representative of depravity and excess. Moreau takes the story one step further, brushing off its Biblical origin in favor of shading the story as a piece of mythology. He treats Salome herself, with whom Moreau was quite taken, as a sort of captivating witch. In the late 19th century, Aubrey Beardsley created the famous pen and ink sketches for Oscar Wilde’s version of “Salome,” a twisted version of the Biblical tale. Beardsley’s affection for costume and dramatic line makes his pieces just as a memorable as Moreau’s haunting “Salome in the Garden.”
The Jean Outland Chrysler Library houses at least five editions of “Salome,” including a 1900 publication of Aubrey Beardsley’s drawings. We will also be glad to show you versions of the Salome story as depicted by Moreau, Titian, and two different editions of the play by Wilde.
- By Library Assistant Sara Mason
Salome, the woman depicted as dangerous in the Bible and depraved by Oscar Wilde, has captured the imaginations of artists and writers for nearly two thousand years. Is it the dark nature of her story that has led so many to dedicate their time to its retelling? In the Gospels of Matthew and Mark, Salome is a girl who dances for Herod Antipas on his birthday. He is so taken with her that he offers her anything she likes. Under her mother’s instruction, the girl requests the head of John the Baptist on a platter, which the sad king feels compelled to deliver.
Salome has become a staple subject for artists. In paintings by Titian, and much later by Moreau, Salome is treated as evil cloaked in innocent beauty. The figure of the girl, especially when depicted with the head of John the Baptist, becomes representative of depravity and excess. Moreau takes the story one step further, brushing off its Biblical origin in favor of shading the story as a piece of mythology. He treats Salome herself, with whom Moreau was quite taken, as a sort of captivating witch. In the late 19th century, Aubrey Beardsley created the famous pen and ink sketches for Oscar Wilde’s version of “Salome,” a twisted version of the Biblical tale. Beardsley’s affection for costume and dramatic line makes his pieces just as a memorable as Moreau’s haunting “Salome in the Garden.”
The Jean Outland Chrysler Library houses at least five editions of “Salome,” including a 1900 publication of Aubrey Beardsley’s drawings. We will also be glad to show you versions of the Salome story as depicted by Moreau, Titian, and two different editions of the play by Wilde.
- By Library Assistant Sara Mason
One of our regular readers points out that :
ReplyDelete"WHRO will be broadcasting the Metropolitan Opera's production of Salome with Swedish soprano Karita Mattila (in what I have heard is an extremely seductive dance with the severed head) singing the title role on Sunday June 14 at 6PM"