Henri Regnault, Salome (s.d., 1870), Met. There is no severed head. This is precisely what
Henri Regnault, Salome (s.d., 1870), Met.There is no severed head. This is precisely what is most striking about Regnault’s Salome,for she holds all the accouterments of execution; the platter and dagger are within her control, resting on her lap, clean and without blood. Her facial expression is a mischievous one – she smirks and gazes confrontationally out at the viewer, fully aware of the ominous objects she holds. … What of John’s head, her trophy? I would argue that Regnault’s Salome is a cleverly constructed piece wherein the viewer sees the true nature of the femme fatale. On the one hand, she is exotic, beautiful, and sensual; on the other, deadly. Her beauty and finely ornamented clothing and possessions distract from her true nature as a seductress bent on blood; or if that is too anachronistic an interpretation, then bent on lust and distracting the artist from what truly matters – his art. … Salome is a visual representation of the femme fatale so warned against in intellectual circles. The presence of John’s severed head is not needed as a signifer of Salome’s nature; the viewer discern this through the use of their imagination and the visual cues in the painting which suggest danger. On a literal level, Salome’s platter and dagger allude to the Biblical story, receiving as their prize John’s head. Symbolically, they allude to the overwhelming and destructive powers of lust, and Salome, without regret, takes as her prize the moral essence of the viewer.- Excerpt from Salome, the femme fatale on Caravaggista.com. -- source link
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