Certainly, Salome has been a great subject for artists to portray in either painting, literature, or even in opera. However, even though they all based their works on the same story of this seductive woman that wants the head of John the Baptist, it seems that each artist made its own interpretation and gave a different taste to the scene. Oscar Wilde, for example, portrayed Salome as a beautiful white princess that falls in love with a forbidden prophet, but as she is rejected, she dances to Herod only thinking of having the head of the man of her dreams; the thing is that, in spite of her obsession, madness, and monstrosity Salome looks still like a tiny beautiful flower lost in 'love'. I think Wilde's scene is actually really similar to Moureau's painting 'The Apparition', in which Salome is portrayed as a beautiful woman admiring the prophet's head.
On the other hand, Richard Strauss's opera 'Salome' portrays a much more crazier and creepier Salome that looses any charm in her sick obsession. In this opera's final scene we never get to see a princess at all, we only see a crazy woman in a black coat adoring a dead man's head. I think Strauss's opera is basically Beardsley's painting 'Salome with the Head of John the Baptist' set on stage.
 |
| 'The Apparition' |
 |
| 'Salome with the Head of John the Baptist' |
Very interesting comments about the different interpretations of the story! The Salome of Strauss's opera is definitely what we would call a "head case." It's kind of a strange subject to have become such a popular opera.
ReplyDelete