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Susanna im Bade |
Description of the painting
The story of Susanna and the Elders can already be found in pre-Christian times in various sources in Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek and Latin with variations in content. The Catholic Church included the story in the Book of Daniel in the Old Testament. Luther did not include the Book of Daniel in the biblical canon. He assigned it to the Apocrypha, which he located between the Old and New Testament.
The story served many painters as a template for their work. Wikipedia mentions more than 1400 works. The earliest preserved depiction of Susanna from the third century can be found in the Cappella Greca of the Priscilla Catacomb in Rome. One of the most recent depictions is my work shown here. The Wikipedia article includes some famous examples.
The depictions of Susanna initially emphasize her chastity, but later, from the 16th century onwards, they are also in the service of male voyeurism. During this period, Susanna is depicted almost naked or nude for the first time. The nude depiction is legitimized by the biblical motif.
Susanna is a beautiful and God-fearing Jewish woman who lived with her rich husband Joakim and her family during the Jewish diaspora in Babylon. On a hot day, she wanted to take a bath in her garden. Therefore, she sent her servants away.
Two men (referred to in the text as elders or judges), who were frequent guests in the house, had noticed that she wanted to bathe. So, they hid in the garden until the servants had disappeared. They surprised the naked Susanna and wanted to rape her. They did not use physical violence but tried to blackmail her with a threat. They threatened to accuse her of adultery with a young man if she did not comply. At that time, adultery was punishable by death, which put Susanna under great pressure. Nevertheless, she did not give in to their demands, began to cry out and prayed to God.
When the servants rushed over, the two men made good on their threat and accused Susanna of adultery. As they were high-ranking personalities, their testimony was believed, and Susanna was sentenced to death. She prayed to God and asked for help. God heard her and allowed Daniel, a young man, to be enlightened by the Holy Spirit. He defended Susanna, criticized the court's verdict and claimed that she was innocent. He was appointed judge and asked to prove his claim.
Daniel separated the two men and interrogated them individually. When asked under which tree the adultery was committed, the two men contradicted each other, which proved their false testimony. Susanna was rehabilitated and the two men were sentenced to death.
It is interesting to note that the Susanna story is regarded in jurisdiction as groundbreaking for the principle of the separate examination of witnesses. This principle was introduced in European procedural law in the 12th century.
The feminist movement points out that despite her heroic attitude, it is not Susanna who is the strong heroine of the story, but Daniel who saves her. Susanna is an object of male actors. Her husband is the master of her body (and one wonders why he played no role in her rescue), the two sex offenders lust after her body for their own satisfaction and Daniel at least saves her life and thus establishes his career.
My depiction of Susanna's story shifts the scene from the garden to some waterfront, possibly a public beach. The two men, like Susanna, are in swimwear. Susanna is a self-confident, active woman. The figure of Susanna is designed in such a way that she stands overpoweringly opposite the men, who have been pushed far into the background and such reduced in perspective. The protagonist here is Susanna. The two men appear rather defensive. Whether the balance of power is really reversed depends on the context, which is not depicted. In this respect, it is up to the viewer's imagination. It seems to be a frightening truth that people will do terrible things to others if they can. Especially if they don't have to expect punishment and if, for whatever reason, they consider themselves more valuable than their victims.