(L) Tintoretto's Susanna and the Elders
image taken from: http://www.artbible.info/art/large/354.html
(R) Artemisia Gentileschi's Susanna and the Elders
image taken from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Susanna_and_the_Elders_%281610%29,_Artemisia_Gentileschi.jpg
So I've found two new pieces I want to compare and contrast as I feel they illustrate how lighting decisions can help or hurt the telling of a narrative. Up for discussion are two paintings that tell the story of the biblical figure Susanna. Susanna was a virtuous woman and loving wife who was wrongfully accused of adultery by two lecherous old men. One day, after sending her attendants away, Susanna goes to her garden to bath. Unbeknownst to her, two lustful elders secretly spy on her while she washes herself. These two men later approach her saying that unless she has sex with them, they will use their influence to convince everyone that she does not go to the garden to bath but to meet a young man. She refuses and the elders have her arrested for her alleged promiscuity. Her life is saved by a young man named Daniel who reveals several inconsistencies in their testimony. The two false accusers are put to death and Susanna is set free.There are many different paintings depicting this story, the pieces I am comparing are by artists Tintoretto and Artemisia Gentileschi.
Tintoretto's piece is a very clear depiction of the voyeuristic act being committed. We are treated to the image of a nude Susanna bathing with an old man peaking in from the corner. The painting puts Susanna on full display, in fact this piece almost seems to want to put its audience in the shoes of the elders. Notice the soft warm light Tintoretto uses in his painting. What we are witnessing is a horrible invasion of personal privacy and yet the scene and its light are incredibly peaceful and welcoming. This light does not reflect the nature of the story at all. Susanna was almost put to death because of this moment and yet we have a scene with a low-intense amber glow. The only way this lighting choice makes any sense in the context of the story is if this scene is meant to reflect the elders point of view and honestly that's rather sicking and twisted as it inadvertently shifts the blame of the act and its consequences from the elders onto Susanna. After all, how can you blame the elders when Susanna is practically glowing in that noon day sunlight.
Artemisia Gentileschi's painting is not an exact literal visual translation of the events. In her piece the three characters are crowed onto a stone border with Susanna on one side and the elders on the other. The piece as a whole is incredibly claustrophobic but you can still easily understand that Gentileschi is trying to capture the emotional turmoil Susanna is in not necessarily the actual proceedings of the event. Gentileschi doesn't try and mimic an actual light source, the sharply angled light is far to white to be coming from a setting sun, instead she choses a type of light that reflects the nature of the men's crime. Her light is harsh, unrelenting, and inescapable. The light reveals every inch of Susanna's body yet keeps the two men partially hidden by the shadows it creates. This light is stark and almost painful as Susanna is turning away from it and her accusers with great distress and a very pained expression on her face. This light truly expresses the narratives theme of unwanted attention.
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