Samson and Delilah Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640)

Description of Peter Rubens’ painting Samson and Delilah

Influenced by the works of Italian artists, Rubens created works on religious themes. The painting "Samson and Dalila," painted around 1609, depicts one of the biblical episodes. The author finds the characters as historical subjects without putting any religious meaning into them.

Samson, born and raised among the submissive insults, humiliations, and disgraces of his people, avenges the enemy by committing mass bloodshed to the Philistines. Having made a vow and devoted himself to the Most High, he grew long locks of hair, which gave him strength. However, the Old Testament hero became a victim of a passionate love for the cunning Dalila, who made a promise to the Philistine authorities for some reward to find out what Samson’s unimaginable omnipotence was.

Four brightly lit ovals of faces can be seen in the foreground. Samson falls asleep in the lap of Dalila, who watches as a Philistine standing nearby cuts off his curls, the primary source of power. Another character involved in the story is an old woman who is absent from the Bible story: the author refers to the fact that the events take place in a brothel.

The artist shows human passion and impending bloody incidents through the predominant burgundy color in Dalilah’s garb. And the army of soldiers standing in the doorway with various blinding implements symbolizes that something terrible awaits Samson in the near future. In the background is a large statue of a Roman goddess, partly repeating the pose, the tilt of Dalila’s head. It is important to note that the bare breasts symbolize passion, lust, which the author has depicted so vividly.

The background of the painting is quite bleak, done in dark shades. The light only falls on the faces of the characters, as if highlighting and emphasizing them. The color scheme conveys the mood, setting, and character of the painting.