Massacre Of The Innocents By Judith Beheading - 921 Words

Though I do not know the background of Massacre of the Innocents, this painting seems to depict a group of men fighting with a group of women over babies, and when the men manage to steal these babies, the men kill them. Besides the death of children, the most peculiar aspect of this painting is the fact that the men and the babies are naked and the women seem to be losing their clothes. The different person’s level of clothing can tell a lot about what is going on. Leaving the men without clothing seems to give the painter a chance to define their muscles in a way that would have been difficult with them clothed. Even though some of the women’s bodies can be seen, they are not as well defined as the men’s making it apparent who is stronger. Pairing this with Judith Beheading Holofernes, nakedness can also show a lack of power. Holofernes was supposed to be a very powerful man, but after being tricked by Judith, he meets his demise by what could possibly be his o wn sword. Without his armor and wits, he has no power or ability to defend himself and is killed by someone who would typically be seen as the least powerful character. This meaning is not necessarily depicted in Saturn Devouring His Son where both Saturn and his son are without clothing though there seems to be a type of animal skin around Saturn’s waist while the child he is chewing on lacks all clothing. Saturn’s lack of clothing and his mad expression makes him to appear like an animal or monster instead of a