01 Paintings and tales of Mermaids, with Footnotes, 6c

Charles Haslewood Shannon, 1863-1937 

The Fisherman and the Mermaid, 1901/03

Oil on Canvas

Rusalkas are the Slavic counterpart of the Greek sirens and naiads. The nature of rusalkas varies among folk traditions, they all share a common element: they are the restless spirits of the unclean dead. They are usually the ghosts of young women who died a violent or untimely death, perhaps by murder or suicide, before their wedding and especially by drowning. Rusalkas are said to inhabit lakes and rivers. 

This early work both illustrated and was inspired by a poem by Goethe, which tells the story of a mermaid who rises from the waters to complain to a fisherman that he is enticing her children to death. Gradually the mermaid's own beauty lures the fisherman into the water and to oblivion. More on this painting

Charles Haslewood Shannon RA (26 April 1863 – 18 March 1937) was an English artist. He became best known for his portraits, which can be found in several major European collections, including the National Portrait Gallery in London.

Shannon attended the City and Guilds of London Art School, and was subsequently considerably influenced by his lifetime partner Charles Ricketts and by the example of the great Venetians. In his early work he was addicted to a heavy low tone, which he abandoned subsequently for clearer and more transparent colour. He achieved great success with his portraits and his Giorgionesque figure compositions, which are marked by a classic sense of style, and with his etchings and lithographic designs. More on Charles Haslewood Shannon 

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01 Works, RELIGIOUS ART - Interpretation of the bible, With Footnotes - 129

Follower of Nicolas Tournier, (French, 1590-1638) 

"Judith with the Head of Holofernes" 

Oil on canvas 

16-1/4" x 13-1/4"

Private collection

Sold for  $8,437.5 USD in July 2018

The Book of Judith is the Old Testament of the Bible. The story revolves around Judith, a daring and beautiful widow, who is upset with her Jewish countrymen for not trusting God to deliver them from their foreign conquerors. She goes with her loyal maid to the camp of the enemy general, Holofernes, with whom she slowly ingratiates herself, promising him information on the Israelites. Gaining his trust, she is allowed access to his tent one night as he lies in a drunken stupor. She decapitates him, then takes his head back to her fearful countrymen. The Assyrians, having lost their leader, disperse, and Israel is saved. Though she is courted by many, Judith remains unmarried for the rest of her life. More on The Book of Judith

Nicolas Tournier (baptised 12 July 1590 – d. before February 1639) was a French Baroque painter.

Born in Montbéliard, he followed the profession of his father, André Tournier, "a Protestant painter from Besançon". Little is known of his life before his arrival in Rome, where he worked between 1619 and 1626, and where he was influenced by the work of Caravaggio. According to one early source, he was a pupil of Valentin de Boulogne. Tournier's Roman paintings are stylistically close to the works of Bartolomeo Manfredi. He painted both secular and religious subjects; an example of the latter is The Crucifixion with St. Vincent de Paul (Paris, The Louvre). After 1626 Tournier was active in southern France. He died in Toulouse.

His work The Carrying of the Cross, painted around 1632, originally hung in the Toulouse chapel of the Company of the Black Penitents. During the French Revolution it was confiscated by the state and moved to a museum, from where it was stolen in 1818. After being lost for nearly two centuries, it reappeared in 2009 during an art collector's estate sale in Florence; when the Weiss Gallery of London purchased it in a Paris auction in 2011, the French government classified it as stolen property and banned it from leaving the country. More on Nicolas Tournier

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01 Works, RELIGIOUS ART - CONTEMPORARY & 20th Century Interpretation of the Bible! With Footnotes - 24

Emil Nolde

The Last Supper, c. 1909

Oil, canvas

86 x 107 cm

 National Gallery of Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark

The Last Supper is the final meal that, in the Gospel accounts, Jesus shared with his Apostles in Jerusalem before his crucifixion. The Last Supper provides the scriptural basis for the Eucharist, also known as "Holy Communion" or "The Lord's Supper".

The four canonical Gospels all state that the Last Supper took place towards the end of the week, after Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem and that Jesus and his Apostles shared a meal shortly before Jesus was crucified at the end of that week. During the meal Jesus predicts his betrayal by one of the Apostles present, and foretells that before the next morning, Peter will deny knowing him.

The three Synoptic Gospels and the First Epistle to the Corinthians include the account of the institution of the Eucharist in which Jesus takes bread, breaks it and gives it to the Apostles, saying: "This is my body which is given for you". The Gospel of John does not include this episode, but tells of Jesus washing the feet of the Apostles, giving the new commandment "to love one another as I have loved you", and has a detailed farewell discourse by Jesus, calling the Apostles who follow his teachings "friends and not servants", as he prepares them for his departure.

Scholars have looked to the Last Supper as the source of early Christian Eucharist traditions. Others see the account of the Last Supper as derived from 1st-century eucharistic practice as described by Paul in the mid-50s. More on The Last Supper

Emil Nolde (born Emil Hansen; 7 August 1867 – 13 April 1956) was a German-Danish painter and printmaker. He was one of the first Expressionists, a member of Die Brücke, and was one of the first oil painting and watercolor painters of the early 20th century to explore color. He is known for his brushwork and expressive choice of colors. Golden yellows and deep reds appear frequently in his work, giving a luminous quality to otherwise somber tones. His watercolors include vivid, brooding storm-scapes and brilliant florals.

Nolde's intense preoccupation with the subject of flowers reflected his interest in the art of Vincent van Gogh. More on Emil Nolde

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01 Works, RELIGIOUS ART - Interpretation of the bible, With Footnotes - 128

Leonard Sarluis, French(1874-1949)

Mocking of Christ. Crown of Thorns, c. 1933

Oil on canvas

30" wide by 391/4 " tall

Private collection

The mocking of Jesus occurred several times, after his trial and before his crucifixion according to the canonical gospels of the New Testament. It is considered part of Jesus' passion.

According to the gospel narratives, Jesus had predicted that he would be mocked. The mocking of Christ took place in three stages: immediately following his trial, immediately following his condemnation by Pontius Pilate, and when he was being crucified.

The New Testament narratives of Jesus being mocked are filled with irony, while the mockery focuses on Jesus' prophetic and kingly roles. More on The mocking of Jesus 

Salomon-Léon Sarluis, known as Léonard Sarluis, (born The Hague, 21 October 1874 - died France, 1949) was a naturalised French Symbolist painter.

Sarluis arrived in Paris in 1894 and became a well-known boulevardier. He travelled widely, including to Naples, Italy and to Russia. He was praised by Jean Lorrain and Oscar Wilde.

He exhibited at the Salon de la Rose+Croix and the Salon des Artistes Français, and with Armand Point he designed the poster for the fifth salon of that group. It depicted the Ideal in the form of Perseus holding the severed head of Émile Zola in reference to the Greek myth in which Perseus decapitated the Gorgon Medusa. For the Symbolists, Zola exemplified in literature the oppressive Naturalism they rejected. More on Leonard Sarluis

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01 Paintings, Slavic mythology, by the Old Masters, with footnotes # 21

Hugues Merle, FRENCH, 1823 - 1881

LA LÉGENDE DES WILLIS, c. 1847

Oil on canvas

41 by 57 1/2 in., 104.1 by 146 cm.

Private collection

"In a part of Austria there is a legend, of Slavic origin. It is the legend of the nocturnal dancer, known in Slavic countries as "willi". The willis are fiancées who died before the wedding day, poor young girls who can not remain quiet in the grave. In their dead hearts, in their dead feet still remains that love of dance that they could not satisfy during their lives; at midnight, they rise, gather in troops on the highway, and, woe to the young man who meets them! He must dance with them; they embrace him with frantic desire, and he dances with them until he falls dead. Adorned with their wedding clothes, wreaths of flowers on their heads, elves . Their faces, though of snow-white, are beautiful in youth; they laugh with such frightful joy, they call you with such seduction, their air has so sweet promises! These dead bacchantes are irresistible. " More on the legend

Hugues Merle (1823–1881) was a French painter who mostly depicted sentimental or moral subjects.

Hugues Merle was born in 1823 in Saint Martin. He studied painting with Léon Cogniet. Merle started exhibiting at the Salon (Paris) in 1847. He received second class prizes in 1861 and 1863. In 1866 he was made Chevalier of the Legion of Honor.

Hugues Merle became a friend of Paul Durand-Ruel in the early 1860s. Durand-Ruel had started buying paintings by Merle in 1862 and introduced the artist to painter William-Adolphe Bouguereau. Merle was later often compared to Bouguereau and “became a considerable rival of Bouguereau in subject and treatment”. In the mid-1860s, Merle painted several portraits of Paul Durand-Ruel, his wife, and their son, John.

Hugues Merle died in 1881 in Paris. His son Georges Merle also became a painter. More on Hugues Merle

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01 Paintings, Olympian deities, by the Old Masters, with footnotes # 32

Frank Herbert Mason (1921 - 2009)

Olympia

Oil on canvas, c. 1983

48 x 60 inches

Private collection

OLYMPOS (Olympus) was the home of the gods who dwelt in fabulous palaces of marble and gold.


Olympos is clearly described in Homer's Iliad. It was essentially an ancient akropolis--a fortified hill-top and palace complex--located just below the peaks of Mount Olympos. The golden gates of the heavenly fortress were guarded by the three Horai (Horae) and it contained the palace of Zeus, lesser palaces for the other gods, and stables for the immortal horses. The buildings were built of stone with bronze foundations and were surrounded by cloistered courtyards with golden pavements. More on Olympia

Frank Herbert Mason (February 20, 1921 - June 16, 2009) was an American painter and teacher. His father was a Shakespearean actor and his mother was a violinist and a pianist.He attended the Music and Arts High School in New York City until he was awarded a scholarship to study at the Art Students League of New York with Frank DuMond, whose students included Georgia O’Keefe, Norman Rockwell and John Marin.

His painting, the Resurrection of Christ, can be seen in Old St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City. In 1962, he received a commission to paint eight large paintings of the Life of St. Anthony of Padua, which were permanently installed in the 11th Century Church of San Giovanni de Malta, in Venice, where his paintings hang alongside a painting by Giovanni Bellini. Consequently, the Order of Malta conferred upon him the Cross of Merit, Prima Classe. He became the first painter to receive the honor since Caravaggio.

In response to the overcleaning of the Sistine Chapel, Mason, along with James Beck, professor of art history at Columbia University, helped form the organization, ArtWatch International.


Mason served as President of the National Society of Mural Painters for the 1995-96 year. More on Frank Herbert Mason

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01 Works, RELIGIOUS ART - Interpretation of the bible, With Footnotes - 129

Anthony Frederick Augustus Sandys, 1832-1904

ST. DOROTHY, c. 1904

Coloured chalk on cream paper with watercolour wash

40 by 30.5cm., 15¾ by 12in.

Private collection

The model for St Dorothy was the artist's youngest daughter who was depicted several times by her father. The drawing was inspired by a poem by Sandys' friend Swinburne first published in 1866. It is possible that it was this version of St Dorothy that the artist referred to in a letter to his patron Harold Hartley in April 1904; 'I like it so much myself I should like you to have it. It still has a lot to be done - all over. The dress I shall do from an old one in Kensington Museum. It will occupy me for about a week - especially to finish the roses.' More on this painting

Dorothea of Caesarea  (died ca. 311) is a 4th-century virgin martyr who was executed at Caesarea Mazaca. Evidence for her actual historical existence or acta is very sparse. She is called a martyr of the Diocletianic Persecution, although her death occurred after the resignation of Diocletian himself. 

She was brought before the prefect Sapricius, tried, tortured, and sentenced to death. On her way to the place of execution the pagan lawyer Theophilus said to her in mockery: "Bride of Christ, send me some fruits from your bridegroom's garden." Before she was executed, she sent him, by a six-year-old boy, her headdress which was found to be filled with a heavenly fragrance of roses and fruits. Theophilus at once confessed himself a Christian, was put on the rack, and suffered death. This is the oldest version of the legend, which was later variously enlarged. More on Dorothea of Caesarea

Anthony Frederick Augustus Sandys (born Antonio Frederic Augustus Sands) (Norwich 1 May 1829 – 25 June 1904 London), but usually known as Frederick Sandys, was an English Pre-Raphaelite painter, illustrator and draughtsman, of the Victorian era. He was born in Norwich, and received his earliest lessons in art from his father, Anthony Sands, who was himself a painter. His early studies show that he had a natural gift for careful and beautiful drawing. He was educated at Norwich School and later attended the Norwich School of Design in 1846. In the same and next year his talent was recognized by the Royal Society of Arts. More on Frederick Sandys

He began his career as a portrait painter and antiquarian illustrator, exhibiting at the Norwich Art Union even as a boy. He moved to London in 1851 and worked as a draughtsman for wood engravers. Sandys was one of a group of high-calibre artists, known as the "Illustrators of the 60s". 

His carefree bohemian lifestyle saddled him with endless debt. He abandoned his first wife, had a brief flirtation with a gypsy girl and a long-term relationship with a young actress who bore him nine children. More on Frederick Sandys

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01 works, RELIGIOUS ART - Photography from the Bible, with footnotes, 3b

William Mortensen

Joyzelle Joyner as Salomé

Joyzelle Joyner (August 27, 1905 – November 30, 1980) was an American actress and dancer. She appeared in at least thirty films between 1925 and 1935, garnering some notoriety for her appearance in The Sign of the Cross.

Joyner began appearing in films around 1924 or 1925, often playing dancers. Her first major role in a major motion picture came in 1930, when she appeared as twin queens of Mars, Boo Boo and Loo Loo in Just Imagine. Her role as Ancaria in The Sign of the Cross, a major production directed by Cecil B. deMille, drew attention from censors; in the film, she performed the lesbian-overtoned "Dance of the Naked Moon".

Most of Joyzelle's work after 1932 constituted uncredited parts, though she did appear under the name "Laya Joy" in House of Mystery, a horror film for Monogram Pictures. Her last-known screen appearance, in Dante's Inferno (1935), was uncredited, but did afford her the opportunity to show off her dancing skills. More on Joyzelle Joyner 

Salome was the daughter of Herod II and Herodias. She is infamous for demanding and receiving the head of John the Baptist, according to the New Testament. According to Flavius Josephus's Jewish Antiquities, Salome was first married to Philip the Tetrarch of Ituraea and Trakonitis. After Philip's death in 34 AD she married Aristobulus of Chalcis and became queen of Chalcis and Armenia Minor. They had three children. Three coins with portraits of Aristobulus and Salome have been found. Her name in Hebrew meaning "peace". More on Salome

William Mortensen (27 January 1897 – 12 August 1965) was an American art photographer, primarily known for his Hollywood portraits in the 1920s-1940s in the pictorialist style. He was born William Herbert Mortensen on January 27, 1897 in Park City, Utah, the son of Danish immigrants. During World War I, Mortensen served with the United States Infantry from August 6, 1918 to May 16, 1919. At his enlistment, he recorded his occupation as painting.

After his discharge from the army, Mortensen briefly studied illustration at the Art Students League in New York City. In May 1920 he traveled in Greece, Italy, Egypt and Constantinople to "sketch for educational purposes." He returned to Utah, then traveled to Hollywood.

Mortensen began his photographic career taking portraits of Hollywood actors and film stills. In 1931 he moved to the artist community of Laguna Beach, California, where he opened a studio and the William Mortensen School of Photography. More on William Mortensen

Salome was the daughter of Herod II and Herodias. She is infamous for demanding and receiving the head of John the Baptist, according to the New Testament. According to Flavius Josephus's Jewish Antiquities, Salome was first married to Philip the Tetrarch of Ituraea and Trakonitis. After Philip's death in 34 AD she married Aristobulus of Chalcis and became queen of Chalcis and Armenia Minor. They had three children. Three coins with portraits of Aristobulus and Salome have been found. Her name in Hebrew meaning "peace". More on William Mortensen

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02 works, RELIGIOUS ART - Photography from the Bible, with footnotes, 3a

Samson and Delilah (1949 film), directed by Cecil B. DeMille

Hedy Lamarr and Victor Mature

Samson and Delilah is a 1949 American romantic biblical drama film produced and directed by Cecil B. DeMille and released by Paramount Pictures. Praised upon release for its Technicolor cinematography, lead performances, costumes, sets, and innovative special effects, the film was a box-office success. Released in December 1949, it was the highest-grossing film of 1950. Of its five Academy Award nominations, the film won two for Best Art Direction and Best Costume Design. More on the film

Samson  is one of the last of the judges of the ancient Israelites mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. According to the biblical account, Samson was given supernatural strength by God in order to combat his enemies and perform heroic feats. Samson had two vulnerabilities—his attraction to untrustworthy women and his hair, without which he was powerless. These vulnerabilities ultimately proved fatal for him.

Samson eventually fell in love with a woman named Delilah. The Philistines bribed Delilah with 1,100 silver pieces from each of the Philistine leaders, to get her to figure out the secret of Samson's strength and tell them. 

After asking him several times what the secret to his strength is: "Finally he disclosed to her all his heart and said to her: 'A razor has never come upon my head, because I am a Naz′i·rite of God from my mother’s belly. If I did get shaved, my power also would certainly depart from me, and I should indeed grow weak and become like all other men.'" 

She relayed this to the Philistine axis lords, got Samson to fall asleep, and while he was sleeping, had his head shaved. The Philistines then took him captive, put out both his eyes, and made him their slave. 

One day as they are having a great party to worship their false god Dagon, the Philistines bring Samson out so they can make fun of him. By that time, Samson's hair has grown out again. Samson has a young boy lead him to the pillars that hold the building up, prays to Jehovah for strength, takes hold of the pillars, and cries out: "Let my soul die with the Philistines."

There are 3,000 Philistines on the roof of the building alone, and many more inside (the axis lords are all there as well), and when Samson pushes against the pillars, the building falls down and kills all of them, including Samson. More on Samson and Delilah

Movie poster for the original 1949 theatrical release of the film Samson and Delilah

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