Seduction is a Double-Edged Sword

The Seduction of Samson (detail)

I was going to wait until I took some better photos before I unveiled my new painting, but I haven’t had time to re-photograph the painting yet. The thing is, I often have a really difficult time trying to photograph my paintings, trying to capture all of the minute details in a photograph that also shows the entire image. This is where detailed shots come into play, as with the larger photos, I lose so much of the detail, like in the faces, the fur of the animals, and the floral patterns. Photographing paintings is always a tough one, because at the end of the day, you can never really capture a painting through a photograph. And something about the images that you see on a computer screen just flattens the work even more. If ever you get the chance to see a painting in real life that you’ve admired only through pictures in a book or on the internet, you’ll know what I mean. I would compare it to going to see a musician or band you love in concert and realizing that they sound better live than in recordings. (And on a side note – how disappointing is it when you see an artist’s work or hear a band live and it doesn’t live up to your expectations!)

I’ll work on getting some better photos before I add this painting to my website, but in the meantime, I want to share it with you on my blog and also tell you a little bit about the painting.

An early Photoshop error from my sketch of the painting

So this painting is the newest one in my series, Of Myth and Men, which references art history and its takes on mythology and biblical stories. The stories I depict are ones that I draw parallels with, from my own personal experiences or past relationships.  Sometimes the story I relate to is one that I’ve been attached to for a long time, like the story of Proserpina or Apollo and Daphne, and other times, they pop up unexpectedly. The idea behind this new painting first came to me last fall, when I popped an old, unmarked CD into my car stereo, and it was a mix CD that my sister had made for me a long time ago. The second track was a Regina Spektor song, Samson, which I had forgotten about but really liked when I had first heard it years ago:

When I got home, later that day, I went to look up the song on the internet and remembered the story of Samson and Delilah. I had seen the painting by Rubens in the National Gallery in London years ago, and it’s another one of those famous stories that has been represented many times throughout art history and contemporary pop culture.

Rubens – Samson and Delilah, c. 1609-1610

In a nutshell, for those unfamiliar with this story, Samson was given superhuman strength by God, with which he slayed thousands of Philistines. When he fell in love with Delilah, the Philistines paid her to find out the secret of his strength. After telling several lies, he finally admits that his power is in his hair. In the night, Delilah’s servant cuts off seven locks of his hair, which breaks the Nazirite oath and God forsakes him, leaving him powerless. Captured by the Philistines, he is blinded, imprisoned and enslaved.

Lucas Cranach the Elder – Samson and Delilah

I was drawn to the imagery of the story, from the paintings and also from the song, as well as the idea of power in hair, which can be found in many difficult cultures around the world. These are just some of the ideas behind my piece, The Seduction of Samson, a title which can be read two ways. There are always two sides to every story. Something to note…I did not depict the cutting of Samson’s locks but the third lie that he told Delilah,”If thou weavest the seven locks of my head with the web.” And so I present to you, The Seduction of Samson.

Roselina Hung – The Seduction of Samson, Oil on wood panel, 20 x 24 in, 2012