|
Belshazzar's Feast by Rembrandt
This painting is based on the story of
Belshazzar's feast located in the Bible's book of
Daniel.
DA 5:1 Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a
thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand.
DA 5:2 Belshazzar,
whiles he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver
vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple
which was in Jerusalem; that the king, and his princes, his wives, and
his concubines, might drink therein.
DA 5:3 Then they brought the golden
vessels that were taken out of the temple of the house of God which
was at Jerusalem; and the king, and his princes, his wives, and his
concubines, drank in them.
DA 5:4 They drank wine, and praised the
gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.
DA 5:5 In the same hour came forth
fingers of a man's hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon
the plaster of the wall of the king's palace: and the king saw the
part of the hand that wrote.
DA 5:6 Then the king's countenance was
changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his
loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another.
DA 5:7 The king cried aloud to bring in
the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. And the king
spake, and said to the wise men of Babylon, Whosoever shall read this
writing, and show me the interpretation thereof, shall be clothed with
scarlet, and have a chain of gold about his neck, and shall be the
third ruler in the kingdom.
DA 5:8 Then came in all the king's wise
men: but they could not read the writing, nor make known to the king
the interpretation thereof.
DA 5:9 Then was king Belshazzar greatly
troubled, and his countenance was changed in him, and his lords were
astonied.
DA 5:10 Now the queen by reason of the
words of the king and his lords came into the banquet house: and the
queen spake and said, O king, live for ever: let not thy thoughts
trouble thee, nor let thy countenance be changed:
DA 5:11 There is a man in thy kingdom,
in whom is the spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of thy father
light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, was
found in him; whom the king Nebuchadnezzar thy father, the king, I
say, thy father, made master of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans,
and soothsayers;
DA 5:12 Forasmuch as an excellent
spirit, and knowledge, and understanding, interpreting of dreams, and
showing of hard sentences, and dissolving of doubts, were found in the
same Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar: now let Daniel be
called, and he will show the interpretation.
DA 5:13 Then was Daniel brought in
before the king. And the king spake and said unto Daniel, Art thou
that Daniel, which art of the children of the captivity of Judah, whom
the king my father brought out of Jewry?
DA 5:14 I have even heard of thee, that
the spirit of the gods is in thee, and that light and understanding
and excellent wisdom is found in thee.
DA 5:15 And now the wise men, the
astrologers, have been brought in before me, that they should read
this writing, and make known unto me the interpretation thereof: but
they could not show the interpretation of the thing:
DA 5:16 And I have heard of thee, that
thou canst make interpretations, and dissolve doubts: now if thou
canst read the writing, and make known to me the interpretation
thereof, thou shalt be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold
about thy neck, and shalt be the third ruler in the kingdom.
DA 5:17 Then Daniel answered and said
before the king, Let thy gifts be to thyself, and give thy rewards to
another; yet I will read the writing unto the king, and make known to
him the interpretation.
DA 5:18 O thou king, the most high God
gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father a kingdom, and majesty, and glory, and
honour:
DA 5:19 And for the majesty that he
gave him, all people, nations, and languages, trembled and feared
before him: whom he would he slew; and whom he would he kept alive;
and whom he would he set up; and whom he would he put down.
DA 5:20 But when his heart was lifted
up, and his mind hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly
throne, and they took his glory from him:
DA 5:21 And he was driven from the sons
of men; and his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was
with the wild asses: they fed him with grass like oxen, and his body
was wet with the dew of heaven; till he knew that the most high God
ruled in the kingdom of men, and that he appointeth over it whomsoever
he will.
DA 5:22 And thou his son, O Belshazzar,
hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this;
DA 5:23 But hast lifted up thyself
against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his
house before thee, and thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy
concubines, have drunk wine in them; and thou hast praised the gods of
silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor
hear, nor know: and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are
all thy ways, hast thou not glorified:
DA 5:24 Then was the part of the hand
sent from him; and this writing was written.
DA 5:25 And this is the writing that
was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.
DA 5:26 This is the interpretation of
the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it.
DA 5:27 TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the
balances, and art found wanting.
DA 5:28 PERES; Thy kingdom is divided,
and given to the Medes and Persians.
DA 5:29 Then commanded Belshazzar, and
they clothed Daniel with scarlet, and put a chain of gold about his
neck, and made a proclamation concerning him, that he should be the
third ruler in the kingdom.
DA 5:30 In that night was Belshazzar
the king of the Chaldeans slain.
DA 5:31 And Darius the Median took the
kingdom, being about threescore and two years old.
Belshazzar's Feast is a painting by Rembrandt painted in about
1635. The source for this painting is the story of Belshazzar, in the
Old Testament Book of Daniel (Daniel 5).Narrative behind the Artwork
According to the Holy Bible, King Belshazzar of Babylon held a great
feast for one thousand of his lords, ladies and barons. At the feast
according to Daniel, chapter 5, verse-4 “They drank wine, and praised
the gods of gold, of silver, of brass, of iron and of wood.”
Belshazzar and his guest committed blasphemy by drinking out sacred
vessels and praising gods other than the lord. Then, out of nowhere, a
man’s hand appeared and started to write with what seemed like light.
The characters were in Hebrew, a language unfamiliar to the King of
Babylon so he called forth his astrologers, the Chal-de’-ans and
soothsayers.
He proclaimed to them, as stated in verse-7 “Whoever shall read this
writing and shrew me the interpretation thereof, shall be clothed with
scarlet, and have of gold around his neck, and shall be the third
ruler of the kingdom”. Many wise men tried to decipher the mysterious
writing on the wall but without success. The king became frustrated
that the meaning of the writing couldn’t be seen but then the Queen
suggested he employ the assisted of a man named Daniel.
According to the Queen, Daniel was in possession of the Holy Spirit
and had the knowledge through the Almighty God to interpret the
writing. Daniel was brought before the king and told him what the
words meant. The translation of the writing, which is accurate in
Rembrandt’s work “Belshazzar’s Feast”, is ME’-NE, TE’-KEL, U-PHAR’-SIN.
In English it means: God has numbered the days of your kingdom and
will finish it. After it has been destroyed it is to be divided and
given to the Persians and the Medes. As promised by the King, Daniel
was clothed with scarlet, was given gold and became the third ruler of
the Kingdom of Babylon. Later that night the King Belshazzar of
Babylon was slain and, as true to the writing on the wall, his kingdom
was divided.
Artistic Evaluation - Conceptual Framework
World
The Netherlands prior to the end of the eighty year war was part of
the Roman Empire and thus was Roman Catholic. However, Judaism was
becoming increasingly popular with Amsterdam having a Jewish quarter
of it’s own in which Rembrandt lived. The story of “Belshazzar’s
Feast” from the holy bible would have been an anecdote in which the
art world and the general public would have been familiar with.
Christian religions were a major influence on the ideologies and
philosophies of the time.
In the early 17th century new modern theories by scientists and
philosophers such as Galileo and Copernicus sought questioning and
even changes in belief systems all across Western Europe.
Rembrandt chose to paint in the Baroque style which was along with
Renaissance, Mannerism and Assicism a popular art style at the turn of
the 17th century. Rembrandt was a popular painter during his time and
he was able to sell his works to make a living.
In 17th century society, artists such as Rembrandt would have been in
the middle class of people and regarded with some respect as a
professional. This power/class structure had an effect on the success
of Rembrandt as a painter.
Artist
Rembrandt Harmenszoon Van Rijn was a Dutch painter living in the
Jewish quarter of the city and so from this demographic gained a wide
and in depth understanding of the bible and biblical stories. This
knowledge of religious text lead him to create not only “Belshazzar’s
Feast” (1635), but also “Return of the Prodigal Son” (1638) and
“Christ with the Sick around Him” (1649).
Although in 17th century Netherlands religious artwork was banned this
didn’t stop Rembrandt from creating scripture based works. Rembrandt
as a spiritualist was influenced by the Protestant Reform Movement but
Rembrandt as a painter was influenced by Jacques Callot a Mannerist
and engraver (1592-1635), Giorgio Barbarelli da Castelfranco a
renaissances painter (1477-1510), Gerrit Van Honthorst a baroque
painter (1592-1656) and Hercules Pieterszoon Seghers a Dutch landscape
painter and print maker (1589-1638). Rembrandt’s intention when
creating “Belshazzar’s Feast” was to convey the morals of religious
scripture in a visual form so it could be easily understood by the
general public which was at the time largely illiterate.
Rembrandt was part of the Venetian school of painting which was a
creative group who shared the same aims and ideas. Rembrandt didn’t
only make an impression in his own time but he has influenced artists
into more modern times. Well known artists such as Thomas Eakins a
realist painter (1844-1914), Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes
(1746-1828) and Adriaen Van Ostade an engraver and painter
(1610-1685).
Artwork
“Belshazzar’s Feast” by Rembrandt wasn’t commissioned by the Roman
Catholic Church but it was created to satisfy his own inner spiritual
needs. The form of the art work is a two dimensional painting. The
figures in “Belshazzar’s Feast” are not photogenic but they are shown
realistically. The people have wrinkles and other blemishes which show
that Rembrandt didn’t paint perfection. He liked the audience to see
the eyes of the figures to reinforce the mood of the painting. This is
apparent if the audience looks closely in “Belshazzar’s Feast” at the
central figure of the King of Babylon and the queen sitting next to
him. They have a look of surprise and the detail around the eyes
reinforces this notion.
The mood of the painting is alarm and surprise. This is shown through
Rembrandt’s distinctive manipulation of light and shadow by means of
altering the texture, potency, direction of stroke subtly achieve the
desired mood. This is called Chiaroscuro. Light and shadows play a
significant role in developing the mood of “Belshazzar’s Feast”
especially around the hand that writes on the wall and the reflection
of King Belshazzar’s royal cloak. The shadows are used to hide the
unnecessary or distracting details and light is used to illuminate the
faces of the figures.
The work depicts the King Belshazzar of Babylon at a feast he held
with a thousand lords and ladies. A hand is near ancient Hebrew script
which appears to be floating. The figures in the picture are surprised
and shocked because of the mystical appearance of the hand and
writing.
Audience
One can imagine that this work was created with the intention that it
would be on display in a public gallery where people could view the
work and gain an understanding of the message that it is trying to
convey. The audience plays a major role in the creation of an artwork
because Rembrandt created this work for the purpose of showing an
audience.
The Frames
The frames are another way to analyze an artwork, similar to the
conceptual frame, but using the agencies of structural, subjective,
postmodern and cultural frames.
Structural Frame
The materials used for “Belshazzar’s Feast” were oil on canvas and
this allowed Rembrandt to manipulate the paint to create defined
shadows, light, atmosphere, motion and mood. Signs and symbols are
used to subtly convey the morals and biblical message across to the
audience. The hand that is writing the message on the wall is male.
This clearly represents the Almighty God. The vessel that has been
tipped over is a Holy Communion cup which represents the blasphemy
that took place at the feast. The gold which is reflecting off the
royal cloak that the king is wearing epitomizes the wealth of the
Kingdom of Babylon.
The composition of this artwork shows evidence of planned
organization. This is apparent in the placement of the figures and the
use of light so that the eye of the audience is drawn towards the
writing on the wall then the central figure of King Belshazzar. The
light illuminating from the writing on the wall seems to reflect off
the eyes of the figures, the king’s cloak and the vessels. Observers
in the painting are shown in varying degrees and facing different
direction yet looking at the same point in the top right hand corner.
Rembrandt emphasized the dramatic posture of King Belshazzar.
The aesthetic principals are a significant component of this art work.
The texture on the faces of the figures is used to make the scene more
realistic. Warm vibrant colours and the use of diaphanous light are
also used to create a life like effect. These aesthetic principals
distinguish Rembrandt art work
Cultural Frame
The society in which “Belshazzar’s Feast” was created was the
Netherlands during a time of modernization. The Eighty Year War in
Europe was coming to an end and philosophers and scientists all around
the world were theorizing and had new ideas. Galileo proposed the
heliocentric model of the universe which challenged the beliefs of the
Roman Catholic Church. The society when the work was created can
influence and in the case of “Belshazzar’s Feast” has influenced the
subject matter and the style.
The signs and symbols used by the artist are specific religious middle
and upper class Netherlands and other parts of Western Europe. All the
symbols used reflect biblical scripture and are therefore specific to
the Christian religions. The work unlike many other Rembrandt
paintings is not set is the present but rather an insight into the
past.
Subjective Frame
Rembrandt had a passion for creating works that show a biblical story
in a simplified manner. It is because of Rembrandt stalwart feelings
towards religion that lead him to create a work such as “Belshazzar’s
Feast”. Rembrandt believed because of the changing contemporary
society where new ideas and theories from scientists and philosophers
which were questioning traditional religion. So he created this work
to promote biblical scripture.
The emotional response of the audience is shock and awe. The image is
powerful and triggers emotions within the audience. The work was a
success because of artistic merit rather than any political stir it
may have had within the art community.
When viewing the work the audience are transposed through physical,
psychological and spiritual experiences. Physical experience is
difficult to judge because the work is not grotesque and if there is
any physical reaction when view the painting it might be a cold shiver
because of the sheer awe of the work. The psychological experience is
that the work intends to attract the audience so they can absorb the
message of the art work. The spiritual experience is the main
experience that the artist is trying to get the audience to feel. The
message is conveyed across to the audience with emphasis of the
spiritual experience.
|
