Evil People of the Bible in paintings.ppsx

Biblical stories offer numerous examples of evil people or antagonists who are frequently depicted in paintings.
These characters represent forces of evil, temptation, moral failings or rebellion against God.

2. Biblical stories offer numerous examples of evil people or antagonists who are frequently depicted in paintings.
These characters represent forces of evil, temptation, moral failings or rebellion against God.

3. Evil People of the Bible
in paintings

5. From Cain the first murderer he killed his brother Abel out of jealousy to Satan who tries to deceive humanity
through
Herod who ordered the killing of male babies in Bethlehem and Pharaoh who enslaved the Israelites and refused to let them go, even after the ten plagues

6. Cain
The First Murderer. Genesis 4:8
And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.

Cain he was the firstborn of Adam and Eve and the elder brother of Abel.
The Lord had respect to Abel, and to his offerings. But to Cain and his offerings he had no respect:
and Cain was exceedingly angry
and Cain let his jealousy take over, killed Abel

7. Cain, dressed in red, offers a sheaf of wheat, while Abel, kneeling offers a lamb.
God descends from heaven, looking and gesturing toward Abel.
And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:
Genesis 4:5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect.
And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.
Bertram of Minden
Grabow Altarpiece: The Offerings of Cain and Abel
Cain and Abel bring offerings
Le Retable de Grabow Les Offrandes de Caïn et Abel
Retablo de Grabow: Las ofrendas de Caín y Abel
1379-1383
Museum Kunsthalle, Hamburg

10. The burning sun, the dark clouds, the stripes of the wind
all emphasize that Cain has just been cursed and that he'd better run.
Adam and Eve discovering their dead son.
His brother Cain, the murderer, flees the scene.
…
Cain was cursed by God for murdering his brother
and sent to wander as a fugitive on earth.
However, God marked Cain with a sign to protect him from anyone
who might kill him.
William Blake
The Body of Abel Found by Adam and Eve
Le Corps d'Abel découvert par Adam et Ève
Adán y Eva encuentran el cuerpo de Abel
1826
Tate Britain, London

13. Abimelech or Abimelek
One of the sons of Gideon, judge of Israel.
really wanted to rule over the citizens of Shechem, but he had a slight problem in the form of his brothers: 70 problems, actually.
Taking matters into his own hands, Abimelech slaughtered all 70 of his own brothers
… and was crowned king.
Only Jotham, the youngest of the brothers, managed to escape the massacre by hiding.

14. miniature 107 Abimelech besieges Thebez; a woman throws a stone
miniature 108 Abimelech, struck by a woman, is stabbed to death at his own request
Abimelech died after a woman in the city of Thebez threw a millstone onto his head,
crushing his skull.
Mortally wounded, Abimelech then ordered his armor-bearer to stab him with a sword
so that it would not be said that a woman had killed him.
Judges 9:56
And so it was that God paid Abimelech back for the crime
that he committed against his father in killing his seventy brothers
Rudolf von Ems
World Chronicle
Chronique universelle
Crónica mundial
third quarter of the 14th century
Fulda University and State Library

18. the king lying on the ground, dying and bathed in his own blood
a stone
a bearded warrior wearing a horned helmet, in a style more Nordic than biblical.
Abimelech stretches his arms out towards him as he draws his sword.
The king asks him to finish him off, so that he does not die at the hands of a woman
on the ramparts, the entire army witnesses this dishonorable death
Judges 9:55
And when the Israelites saw that Abimelech was dead, they all went home.
Gustave Doré
Mort d'Abimelech
Death Of Abimelech
Muerte de Abimelec
1866
Bible 1866 La Sainte Bible selon la Vulgate, avec les dessins de G. Doré, Tours, Mame, vol. 1

21. Delilah
The Betrayer of Samson. Judges 16

Deceptive and cunning, Delilah tricked Samson, a judge and hero of Israel, into revealing the source of his strength.

She then betrayed him into the hands of the Philistines, and walked away from the whole debacle rich with silver.

22. … he lied to her three times, but Delilah did not give up,
reminding him that their love vow did not permit secrets.
Finally, he told her the truth and revealed the connection between his power and his hair.
…
Did he love her and trust her in the end?
Did he arrogantly believe that his strength was his own and not from God?
Peter Paul Rubens
Samson and Delilah
Samson et Dalila
Sansón y Dalila
1609
National Gallery, London

25. and they promised Delilah a large amount of silver
if she could find out where in his great strength lay ...
…
Delilah seemingly appalled at her own betrayal of Samson
and regretting her act of treason
Anthony van Dyck
Samson and Delilah
Samson et Dalila
Sansón y Dalila
1630
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna

28. Eve
God made a creature ‘in his own image’.
This creature had a nature that was essentially creative.
It could imagine, invent, and change the world.
But the creature was alone, so God created fashioned Woman – Eve.

Eve was even more creative than her mate, Adam.
And so she thought that if she did what the reptile in the Garden of Eden suggested and ate the Apple,
she might gain new understanding and wisdom
...
and
She took the apple to Adam, so that he might taste it too.

29. A nude man and woman, recline together under an apple tree.
Their bodies entwined, Adam and Eve gaze into each other’s eyes.
Eve holds up a small green and red apple
a bite has been taken from the apple …
and
a brown and white cat looks out at us with gold-colored eyes
and
a snake winds around the trunk. it has a human face with flushed cheeks and blond hair
Hendrick Goltzius
The Fall of Man
La Chute de l'homme
La caída del hombre
1616
National Gallery of Art, Washington DC

32. The serpent was more subtle than any other wild creature that the Lord God had made …
... the serpent said to the woman: “You will not die! ... you will be like God, knowing good and
evil”. So the woman ... took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband
Genesis 3: 1-6
… and the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden
Michelangelo illustrates Original Sin and the banishment of Adam and Eve
from the Garden of Eden,
thus showing together the cause and the effect generated.
Michelangelo Michel-Ange
The Fall and Expulsion from Paradise
Le Péché originel et l'expulsion du Paradis terrestre
Pecado original y expulsión del Paraíso terrenal
1509-1510
Cappella Sistina, Vatican

35. Haman
A high-ranking advisor who plotted to have all the Jews in the Persian empire killed. Esther 3
What goes around comes around:
Haman conspired a plot to wipe out an entire nation, simply because Mordecai the Jew refused to bow to him.

However, Queen Esther foiled his evil plan and Haman ended up on the gallows he’d designed for Mordecai.

36. Esther's story culminates when the queen is faced with the decision
to continue hiding her Jewish heritage and preserve her safety,
to risk everything to defend her people.
a marked chiaroscuro:
Esther is radiant,
Haman is immersed in the shadows …
Rembrandt
Ahasuerus and Haman at the Feast of Esther or Ahasuerus, Haman and Esther
Le Festin d'Esther avec Aman et Assuérus ou Assuerus, Haman et Esther
1660
Pushkin Museum, Moscow

39. Haman is depicted three times:
on the right the king sends Haman to provide royal apparel for Mordecai,
who is sitting at the king's door;
on the left Esther reveals Haman's plot to Ahasuerus;
in the central scene the crucifixion of Haman (instead of the Biblical hanging)
Michelangelo
The Punishment of Haman
Le Châtiment d'Haman
El castigo de Amán
1511
Cappella Sistina, Vatican

42. Herod the Great
ordered that all children under the age of two be killed. Matthew 2:1-16
Paranoid, cruel,
killed many of his own family members for suspected plots against him.
Ordered the massacre of all the male infants in Bethlehem,
hoping to kill the newborn King of the Jews (the Messiah) which was Jesus Christ.

43. screaming mothers
dead or dying babies
bloodthirsty soldiers
marble pavement is covered by infant corpses
Impassive courtiers flank Herod's throne
the king
one hand is outstretched to order the butchery;
the other, like a claw, clutches the marble sphinx on the arm of his throne
Matteo di Giovanni
Massacre of the Innocents
Massacre des Innocents
Matanza de los Inocentes
1482
Santa Maria della Scala, Siena

46. Herod Antipas
Pride and Lust. Mark 6:14-29
viewed as a "bad" figure in the Bible due to
his marriage to his brother's wife, which was considered a transgression of Jewish law,
his execution of John the Baptist
and his involvement in the trial of Jesus
As the Tetrarch of Galilee, his actions were driven by fear and a desire to maintain power,
he was banished by the Roman Emperor Caligula for seeking to be called king.

47. with a colorful costume rich in its textiles and embroidered details
pathetic and weak …
James Tissot
Hérode
Herod
Herodes
1886-1894
Brooklyn Museum, New York City

49. The magnificent Salome has danced languidly for Herod …
disturbed by the young woman's generous curves,
he has promised to give her anything she desires
and
Salome, on her mother's orders, demands the head of John the Baptist
and
he brings it to her on a silver platter ...
Lucas Cranach the Elder
The Feast of Herod
Festin d'Hérode
Festín de Herodes
1533
Städel Museum, Frankfurt

52. Herodias
Proud, manipulative, and arrogant. She used her daughter to get revenge on John the Baptist. Matthew 14:3-12

A mother-daughter tale with a tragic end.
Herodias was the woman responsible for the death of John the Baptist,
ruthlessly sacrificing her daughter’s modesty
to plot the murder of the person she most hated.

53. the emphasis is on the mother and her obedient daughter …
the raw emotions of vengeful Herodias
Andrea Ansaldo
Herodias presented with the Head of the Baptist by Salome
Hérodiade recevant la tête de Jean-Baptiste de Salomé
Herodías recibe la cabeza del Bautista de Salomé
1630
Musei di Strada Nuova, Genova

56. Herodias
She wanted revenge and she got it served on a platter.
Delaroche paints the chilling aftermath.
Herodias stands calm and composed,
her hand resting on the golden vessel that holds John’s head.
She doesn’t flinch, gazes outward, almost defiant,
like a woman who finally got what she wanted.
Paul Delaroche
Hérodiade avec la tête de saint Jean-Baptiste
Herodias with the Head of St. John the Baptist
Herodías con la cabeza de San Juan Bautista
1843
Wallraf–Richartz Museum, Cologne

58. Jezebel
The Idolatrous Queen. Persecutor of Prophets. 1Kings 18–21
Promoted idol worship, ordered the killing of God’s prophets,
and manipulated her husband, King Ahab, into committing acts of injustice.
Her name has become a byword for wickedness
Elijah, one of Israel's leading prophets famous predicted that Jezebel would be devoured by dogs.

59. Elijah prophesied that Ahab and Jezebel would both die disgracefully
(1 Kings 21:20-24)
and that is exactly what happened.
Frederic Leighton
Jezabel and Ahab or Jezabel and Ahab Met by Elijah
Jézabel et Achab ou Jézabel et Achab rencontrés par Élie
Jezabel y Acab o Jezabel y Acab se encuentran con Elías
1863
Scarborough Art Gallery, Scarborough

62. 1 Kings 21:23
And the LORD also speaks concerning Jezebel:
‘The dogs will devour Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.’
According to the Bible,
Jehu is anointed king of Israel by a disciple of the prophet Elisha,
with orders to punish the house of Ahab
and to exercise divine vengeance against Jezebel.
Jezebel she’s thrown from a window, trampled by horses,
and eventually eaten by dogs,
leaving behind her only her feet, skull, and hands.
Andrea Celesti
Queen Jezabel Being Punished by Jehu
La reine Jézabel punie par Jéhu ou Punition de la reine Jézabel par Jéhu
second half of 17th century
Private collection

65. Judas Iscariot
The Ultimate Betrayal. Matthew 26:14-16
Judas Iscariot one of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ.
He betrayed Jesus to the Jewish authorities for thirty pieces of silver, the price of a slave.
Regretted his betrayal.
Matthew 27:5 So Judas threw the silver into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.
Acts 1:18-19 …18Now with the reward for his wickedness Judas bought a field;
there he fell headlong and burst open in the middle, and all his intestines spilled out.
19 This became known to all who lived in Jerusalem,
so they called that field in their own language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.

66. Luke 22:3 Then entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot,
being of the number of the twelve …
The priests seem very pleased
The priest in red may be Caiaphas, the highest priest in Jerusalem.
Judas wears a yellow robe. In Giotto's days yellow was the colour of jealousy,
and Judas was jealous of the other apostles.
Giotto
Judas' Betrayal
La trahison de Judas
La traición de Judas
1304-1306
Museum Cappella degli Scrovegni (Arena Chapel), Padua

69. Judas, red-haired, bearded, lost in thought, not daring to look up.
On his head is a diadem made of silver coins.
He is exiled outside the city, an eternal wanderer whom no one will accept ...
and
a turbulent and rainy Jerusalem, symbolizing his inner despair and betrayal
Edward Okuń
Judas
1901
National Museum in Warsaw, Warsaw

72. Potiphar’s Wife
False Accusation Against Joseph. Genesis 39:7-20

Unfaithful, passionate, insistent, bold, and a liar.
A high-ranking Egyptian woman who fell for a good-looking Hebrew slave by the name of Joseph.
Joseph rejected her advances and fled.
Enraged she accused him of attempted rape and had him thrown into prison

73. Joseph flees when his master Potiphar's wife tries to seduce him.
She manages to pull a part of his gown.
Guido Reni
Joseph and Potiphar's Wife
Joseph et la femme de Potiphar
José y la mujer de Putifar
1630
The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles

76. Genesis 39
16So Potiphar’s wife kept Joseph’s cloak beside her until his master came home.
17Then she told him the same story: “The Hebrew slave you brought us came to me to make
sport of me
Potiphar's wife shows her husband part of Joseph's cloak as proof.
In the background: Joseph being taken to prison.
Lucas van Leyden
Potiphar's Wife Displays Joseph's Garment
La femme de Potiphar montre le vêtement de Joseph
La esposa de Potifar exhibe la prenda de José
1512
Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam

79. The Pharaoh of Egypt
The stubborn king. Exodus 7:14

The ruler of Egypt who enslaved the Israelites
and refused to let them go when Moses demanded their freedom in God’s name.
Pharaoh’s stubbornness leads to the Ten Plagues, which devastate Egypt.
Even as his land is destroyed and his people suffer,
he refuses to free the Israelites until the final plague takes his firstborn son.

80. Exodus 7
10So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the LORD had commanded.
Aaron threw his staff down before Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a serpent.
11But Pharaoh called the wise men and sorcerers and magicians of Egypt, and they
also did the same things by their magic arts.
12Each one threw down his staff, and it became a serpent. But Aaron’s staff swallowed
up the other staffs …
13Still, Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, just as the
LORD had said …
This made God punish Egypt with the plagues.
Nicolas Poussin
Moïse changeant en serpent la verge d'Aaron
Moses Turning Aaron's Staff into a Serpent
Moisés convierte la vara de Aarón en una serpiente
1646-1647
Museé du Louvre, Paris

83. Moses and Aaron visit the pharaoh, who is mourning his son.
The Egyptian ruler’s son had died from the tenth and final plague
sent by God to secure the Israelites’ release from Egypt.
The gloom of the painting reflects the father’s intense grief.
Lawrence Alma-Tadema
Death of the Pharaoh's Firstborn Son
La Mort du Premier-Né du Pharaon
La muerte del hijo primogénito del faraón
1872
Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, Amsterdam

86. Satan
A fallen angel who became the ruler of hell.

Yes ...
a master of manipulation, using lies and temptation, as shown in the story of Adam and Eve.

87. Also known as Lucifer or the Devil, Satan is the ultimate enemy of God and humanity.
He was originally an angel who rebelled against God and was cast out of heaven.

Satan first appears in Genesis 3 disguised as a serpent
and deceives Adam and Eve into disobeying God by eating fruit from the Tree of Knowledge.
Satan is the main antagonist of the final book of the Bible, the Book of Revelation,
where he is depicted as a dragon, a beast, and a false prophet.

88. Isaiah 14:12
How you have fallen from heaven, O day star, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the ground,
O destroyer of nations.
...
Yes ... the bad guy, the antagonist, the archenemy.
Satan was originally a good guy, an angel, and his name wasn't even that (Satan means adversary),
but Lucifer, the light-bearer.
He was the most beautiful angel of all, but he insisted on living up to his name
and wanted to bring "light“, "knowledge" to mankind
… So he was sent to hell
Gustave Doré
La chute de Lucifer
Fall of Lucifer
La caída de Lucifer
1866
Illustration du Paradis perdu de John Milton.
Illustration for John Milton’s Paradise Lost

91. a human head with butterfly wings attached to a shapeless, bloated body,
a puffy gnome carrying a sundial and with a plumed helmet on his head,
a viscous fish with arms, lizard scales, crustacean paws ...
the monsters are thrown to earth
the angels combat them,
led by St Michael, striking with his sword at the dragon with the seven crowned heads
Pieter Bruegel the Elder Pieter Brueghel l'Ancien
The Fall of the Rebel Angels
La Chute des anges rebelles
Caída de los ángeles rebeldes
1562
Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, Brussels

92. Revelation 12:7-9
7Then a war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back.
8But the dragon was not strong enough, and no longer was any place found in heaven for him and his angels.
9And the great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world.
He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him .…

96. Evil People of the Bible in paintings
Les méchants de la Bible dans la peinture
Los malvados de la Biblia en las pinturas
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