Crusader Bible: Painting Analysis

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Artists create their own story when painting the works of the Crusader Bible and Story of Yusuf and Zulaikha. They want certain aspects of the story to be heard louder than others. Both artists use color and lines to define and highlight many aspects of the painting. Symbols and structure are also important in these pieces because they give a greater meaning to the story as a whole. The way the artists portray their scenes can have many different meanings depending on the person viewing it. The works David Slays Goliath and Abner brings David with the Head of Goliath from the Crusader Bible tell a story which is easily described by the titles of the works. The pictures both have blue and pink backgrounds with different figures dressed in a variety of colors including gray, red and blue. In the upper …show more content…

The boldest lines are in the frame and they are used to separate the scenes. The painting itself is very flat; however the artist manages to use overlap in order to create a sense of depth within the painting. In the upper-right painting, the author overlaps the soldiers watching David cut off Goliath’s head. Also, in the lower paintings, the artist overlaps the people watching David present Goliath’s head to the king. In the upper-left painting, the artist makes a distinct height and body mass difference between David and Goliath. He makes David very small, compared to Goliath, his head in aligned with Goliath’s waist. Also, David’s arms are noticeably smaller than Goliath’s. In the upper-left, he makes David’s arm very outstretched in order to be able to reach Goliath’s neck with the sword. In the lower-left painting, the artist shows David kneeling before the king giving a clear recognition of social rank. Also, in the lower-right painting, the king’s son is even displayed as taller than David and he is slightly leaned over supporting the idea of