Susanna and the Elders (Primary Title)
Susannah and the Elders (Former Title)
Jacques Blanchard, French, 1600 - 1638 (Artist)
In the biblical story of Susanna and the Elders, two men spying on Susanna at her bath falsely accuse her of adultery after she refuses their advances. For Blanchard and other early modern artists, the dramatic tale allowed them to depict a sensual female nude under the auspices of a religious subject. Ultimately, the prophet Daniel intervenes to save Susanna from execution and so, in the 17th century, the story also served as an allegory for the triumph of the Catholic church during the Counter-Reformation.
This painting is among the first works Blanchard completed in Paris after four years of study in Rome and Venice. He received the nickname “the French Titian” for his embrace of the dynamic compositions and warm tonality he admired in the work of Titian, the premier painter of the Venetian Renaissance. Titian was not the only artist whose work impacted Blanchard; the robust figures in this painting, especially Susanna, suggest the influence of the subsequent generation of Venetian painters, including Veronese.
"Masterpieces of 17th Century French Painting", Portland Art Museum, Portland, OR : October 11, 2003 – January 5, 2004; Birmingham Museum, Birmingham, AL,January 25 – April 11, 2004; Meadows Museum, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX: April 30 – July 25, 2004
"Falling in Love Again", VMFA, Philip Morris Gallery, July 1 - September 25, 1994.
"Jacques Blanchard", Musée des beaux arts, Rennes, France, February 26 - June 14, 1998
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