Susanna and the Elders - Franciszek Żmurko, 1879 by Atelier Liesjes

About "Susanna and the Elders - Franciszek Żmurko, 1879"

by Atelier Liesjes

About the artwork

Susanna is a woman from the deuterocanonical (apocryphal) portion of the book of Daniel in the Christian Bible of the same name. Susanna is a beautiful, God-fearing woman, the daughter of Chelkia and married to Joakim (Joachim), a very rich man. One hot day she bathed in a closed garden, thinking that no one could see her there. However, two judges ('elders'), described as 'lawless', had hidden themselves in the garden, sick with desire for the beautiful Susanna. After they had spied on her, they made her unworthy proposals.

Here the girl stands topless in the portrait. As a result, she is partially naked and the breasts are exposed. The two men force themselves on her.

The painting by Żmurko, an artist who specializes in painting over-styled female portraits and nudes sometimes depicted in the Eastern harem context, clearly emphasizes the erotic nature of the scene. The woman's body, depicted in great close-up, expressively moved, is highlighted with the light in contrast to the elderly who are almost invisible in the shadows. A seemingly clear message about the innocence that is not afraid of light or the sin that tends to lurk in the shadows serves an entirely different purpose.

All in all, a sexy and sensual erotic picture with romance.

Franciszek Żmurko (Lemberg, Ukraine, 18 July 1859 - Warsaw, Poland, 9 October 1910) was a Polish painter. He began his painting studies with the Lemberg artist Franciszek Tepa. In 1876, he entered the Art Academy in Krakow and