The Power of Women- The Bible vs. Art

Throughout her paper, Annette Bresler speaks on the portrayal of women in both the Bible and art, while pointing out their similarities and differences.

Annette Bresler

Throughout The Bible, women are generally portrayed in various ways – disruptive, assertive, clever, seductive, and manipulative. Biblical figures such as Eve, Ruth, Esther, Judith, Rachel, and Leah are accurate examples of this portrayal. Over time, many different artworks have been created to represent these women, many of which do not portray them as they are described in The Bible. Their valuable powers of curiosity, fertility, beauty, and sexuality act as an asset to defeat their enemies and acquire their desired outcome.

According to The Bible, Adam and Eve are the very first human beings and have an ultimate duty to reproduce. They reside in the Garden of Eden where Adam is firmly instructed by God to name all of the animals, keep the garden healthy and help it flourish, and eat the fruits. Although, there is one exception: he is under no circumstances allowed to taste the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. However, Eve eats the fruit after she is deceived by Satan disguised as a serpent. She then offers Adam the fruit as well. Unable to resist, he consumes the fruit, and consequently, God expels them from the garden due to their sins.

Eve’s actions portray her to be extremely curious which leads to her being seen as disruptive. The serpent’s argument to persuade Eve to eat the fruit is very appealing to her, “You will not die; for God knows when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil’’ (Genesis 3). She is aware that God does not want her eyes to be opened because that would result in her having the knowledge of good and evil, thus making her almost God-like. Therefore, she is even more tempted to defy the rules and ingest the fruit. Eve is not submissive to the norms and displays curiosity, along with a desire for the power that God has.

It does not take much persuading for Eve to disobey God’s orders to pursue her curiosity. Adam, however, is passive and obeys God’s commands without question. Adam is shown as powerless and as a follower because he complies with and consumes the fruit after Eve offers it to him. Eve, on the other hand, raises questions, acts as a leader, and does not accept the limits that are set forth. She displays ambition and inquisitiveness in her character, all of which can be seen as disruptive. She takes initiative to acquire more knowledge in order to be God-like. This curiosity defies the norms of society because it challenges the patriarchal hierarchy. The overall image of Eve that is portrayed in The Bible is curious, persistent, and disruptive.

FIGURE 1: “Eve.” Auguste Rodin, Mary Hill Museum of Art

Eve’s representation in The Bible varies immensely from how she is portrayed in the bronze sculpture “Eve.” Auguste Rodin’s (French, Paris 1840–1917 Meudon) sculpture with dimensions 68 ½ × 20 ½ × 23 ½ in., 635 lb. (174 × 52.1 × 59.7 cm, 288 kg), was modeled in 1881 and cast in 1910. It can be found in Gallery 800 in The Metropolitan Museum of Art. According to this image, Eve is digging her head into her arm as if she is ashamed of herself and does not wish to show her face. Rodin makes Eve look extremely vulnerable, defenseless, and weak. There seems to be a lack of confidence in her posture because of the way that her body is slanted. “As conceived by Rodin, Eve does not appear as the originator of human sin and a representation of evil but instead shows the frailty of the human condition” (Mary Hill Museum of Art). Instead of portraying her as rebellious, her body language makes her look helpless, powerless, and scared. “As an independent sculpture, Eve a physical manifesto of remorse; her body twisted in suffering, her face imprisoned within a gesture of anguish” (The MET). The Bible shows Eve as very outgoing and persistent, however, in the sculpture she is displayed as passive, submissive, and powerless in which her curiosity seems censored.

Another significant biblical figure, Judith, a Jewish widow, is portrayed as powerful, assertive, and manipulative in The Bible. In the story of Judith, she uses her beauty to seduce Holofernes, the commander of the Assyrian army. Holofernes trusted Judith and she was clever to take advantage of that. She made it look like her intentions were to sleep with him, but instead, she fooled him and took advantage of his vulnerability when he was intoxicated. ‘Then she pulled the head out of the bag and showed it to them, and said, “See here, the head of Holofernes, the commander of the Assyrian army, and here is the canopy beneath which he lay in his drunken stupor. The Lord has struck him down by the hand of a woman…’’ (Judith 13). Judith kills Holofernes and then decapitates him shortly after, therefore, victoriously saving the people and displaying power and authority.

It is not very common to come across an instance like this, especially in The Bible. Judith became a leader and a source of hope for her people. Here, Judith’s approach towards defeating the enemy was by being aggressive and pretending to be vulnerable and trustworthy. She was well aware of the fact that if she plays innocent and uses the stereotype of women being weak-minded and submissive, then she could trick Holofernes into trusting her. It was a very interesting approach, considering she was embracing this assumption that men have against women and manipulating it into a way that would benefit her.

FIGURE 2: “Judith and the Head of Holofernes”, Lucas Cranach the Elder, The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The portrayal of Judith in the oil painting “Judith and the Head of Holofernes” is generally an accurate representation of how she is portrayed in The Bible. This artwork can be found in Gallery 643 in The Metropolitan Museum of Art. It was created in 1530 by Lucas Cranach the Elder (German, Kronach 1472–1553 Weimar) in the style of the German Renaissance with dimensions 35 ¼ x 24 ⅜ in. (89.5 x 61.9 cm). It was uncommon during that time to view a painting of a woman taking charge and defeating her enemy “head-on.” According to this image, Holofernes looks powerless, while Judith seems so overpowering and fearless by holding Holofernes’ head in one hand and a sword in the other. ‘Appropriately, she is "dressed to kill" and wears an elaborate contemporary costume that would have appealed to Cranach’s courtly patrons. The painter and his workshop produced several versions of this successful composition, which contrasts the gruesome head and the serene beauty of the biblical heroine’ (The MET).

The orange and green colors are very eye-catching, bright, and vibrant. Great detail is put into Holofernes’ head to emphasize how fresh this was and to make it seem more realistic. “Judith’s swinging the severed head of Holofernes adds a pitiless touch to the incongruous scene” (Art: Representation of Biblical Women). His eyes are rolled back, which adds to the dramatic effect. Her clothes and facial expression add to her brave and intimidating look, making her look like a warrior. It is very unusual for this amount of power to be given to a woman. Judith seems too calm and collected in a slightly disturbing way.

The biblical figure, Esther, uses her status as queen to persuade the king to spare her people. In the story of Esther, Haman is the antagonist who wished to kill the Jewish people. Esther discovers his plans and utilizes her power of beauty and her position as queen to save the Jewish people. Ironically, nobody knew that Esther was Jewish except for Mordecai, a court official. Thus, she used her status as queen to her advantage and eventually persuaded the king to hang Haman where he wanted to hang Mordecai. Esther is portrayed as clever and persuasive in The Bible, which states, ‘And the second day, as they were drinking wine, the king said, “What is it, Queen Esther? What is your petition and what is your request? It shall be granted to you, even to half of my kingdom.” She answered and said, “If I have found favor with the king, let my life be granted me at my petition, and my people at my request. For we have been sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, plundered, and made slaves-we c and our children-male and female slaves’” (Esther 7). Esther is well aware of her beauty and sexuality and she uses that to her advantage. She objectifies herself to be more convincing, to seduce the king, and save her people from being annihilated. She even breaks court etiquette and risks death! Here, she is portrayed as very intelligent, clever, and brave because she uses her status as a woman in a way that would work in her favor. Esther did a very noble thing by risking her life to save her people with a different, more subtle approach to defeating the enemy.

Esther is portrayed in a completely different way in the oil painting “Esther Before Ahasuerus” than she is portrayed in The Bible. This artwork was created by Artemisia Gentileschi in 1628 with dimensions 82 x 107 ¾ in. (208.3 x 273.7 cm) and can be found in Gallery 637 in The Metropolitan Museum of Art. According to this image, Esther fainted, which instantly shows a sign of weakness. She is also being held up by two women, showing that she is dependent and needs to rely on others. By fainting, Esther is hitting rock bottom because she is desperate to convince the king to save her people, making her vulnerable and helpless. She could have planned to faint on command, but it is unknown whether or not this was intentional. “Esther’s arm is extended out, almost pleading for the king to assist her. Her “artful” collapse is well calculated. While she might seem vulnerable to this dandy king (that depiction itself is telling), she is in fact very much in control of the situation. Her head is tilted back at an angle, her eyes closed and eyebrows arched in theatrical abandon” (Esther Before Ahasuerus By Artemisia Gentileschi).

She is also sexualized because her dress is very low-cut, which is accurate with her description in The Bible. This shows that her beauty could be the way into the king’s heart. “She painted them with verve and insight, frequently providing psychological depth and tension to women caught in situations where they were forced to act decisively” (Esther Before Ahasuerus By Artemisia Gentileschi). Artist Gentileschi is conveying a message through her artwork that women have the power to be in control by using their beauty and sexuality to their advantage. Moreover, the king is on a higher platform which shows that he is superior to her. Therefore, the king could represent male superiority. Here, it is evident that Esther is exercising her power of sexuality and seduction. Her wardrobe and fainting episode makes her look vulnerable and irresistible to the king. “Tintoretto revolutionizes this formula in his painting of ca. 1547–1548: Esther faints before Ahasuerus, while the king extends the pardoning scepter. The portrayal of Esther in an act of archetypal feminine weakness, taken up by most Baroque artists, is based on the apocryphal text (Esther 15: 7–11), accepted as a deuterocanonical one at the Council of Trent (1545–1547). Yet the reason for the appearance of this particular motif in Italian art, where Esther’s posture implies her autonomy vis-à-vis the king, is to be sought in an ever-growing economic and cultural autonomy of women, occurring especially in Venice and Bologna” (Art: Representation of Biblical Women).

FIGURE 3: “Esther Before Ahasuerus”, Artemisia Gentileschi, The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Other biblical figures, Rachel and Leah, are portrayed as manipulative and valued for their fertility. In The Bible, Jacob served Rachel’s father for seven years in order to marry her, but instead was fooled into marrying her sister, Leah. Soon enough, he married Rachel as well in exchange for seven more years of work. Rachel and Leah engaged in a covetous rivalry while trying to win over Jacob’s love by having children, exercising their power of fertility. They are portrayed as very dependent on a man according to the text. ‘When Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, she envied her sister; and she said to Jacob, “Give me children, or I shall die!”’ (Genesis 30). This quote implies that they cannot live without a man’s love. ‘“Now this time my husbands will be joined to me, because I have borne him three sons”’ (Genesis 29).

Rachel and Leah both sound desperate and as if they are treating fertility as a competition. Leah is relying on having children to ensure that Jacob never leaves her. In Genesis 29, Leah says, ‘“Because the LORD has looked on my affliction; surely now my husband will love me.”’ They both take a different approach to manipulate the man into staying with them. They are aware of having the power of fertility which is their valued asset. Rachel and Leah used this knowledge to their advantage and to convince the man to stay with them. They used their fertility as a weapon, showing that they are both relentless because they are willing to go to extreme measures to acquire power. Their power of fertility acts as a major asset and can result in them having power over the man. They seem very mischievous according to their description in The Bible. Because of their intense ongoing competition over Jacob’s love, they do not seem like sisters or even friends. It seems as though they do not have a positive relationship.

FIGURE 4: “Dante’s Vision of Rachel and Leah.”Dante Gabriel Rosseti.

Rachel and Leah are depicted differently in Dante Gabriel Rosseti’s watercolor painting “Dante’s Vision of Rachel and Leah.” Rosseti (1828–1882) painted this artwork in 1855 with dimensions 31 ½ × 35 ½ cm (12.4 × 13.9 ″), during the Romanticism period. “Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1828–1882) shows Leah on the right occupying herself with a spray of flowers and Rachel lost in thought” (Art: Representation of Biblical Women). According to this image, Rachel and Leah are illustrated in bright colors of purple and green. “She wears a green dress, the colour of life. Rachel is dressed in purple, the colour Rossetti often associates with inactivity and sometimes even with death…” (Dante's Vision of Rachel and Leah).

They look very innocent, gentle, and harmless. One of them has a rose in her hair, which could represent grace and elegance. According to Teleflora, “Pink flowers represent grace, gentility, and happiness. Regardless of the shape of the flower – from the tight, small buds of a pink garden rose to the delicate, open petals of a pink peony in full bloom – pink blossoms convey youth, innocence, and joy.” Rachel and Leah are surrounded by nature and numerous flowers, meaning that they are fragile and vulnerable. This does not at all correspond with how Rachel and Leah are portrayed in The Bible. Here, they look very innocent, however, in The Bible they are persistent and unafraid to challenge each other over Jacob. According to the painting, Rachel and Leah are playing nice and acting like sisters. It looks as if they have a positive relationship which completely contradicts how they are portrayed in The Bible.

In conclusion, the representation of women in The Bible varies immensely from their portrayal in art pieces. Eve is portrayed as persistent in The Bible, but as innocent in the painting. Judith is portrayed as powerful and assertive in the biblical text and in art. With these many different interpretations of women as biblical figures, further studies are necessary to further the knowledge and comparisons, as well as to raise questions about women’s portrayal in religious texts and art. Since minimal studies are focusing specifically on women’s portrayal in The Bible vs. in sculpture and art, further studies should be done to examine the consistency of the representation of women. Also, other forms of art should be studied to view the different interpretations of The Bible.

References

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