There are a variety of biblical passages as well as scholarly and religious interpretations of Salomé, daughter of Herodias, step-daughter to Herod Antipas. Her story culminates in one single act — after entertaining her step-father and his court with the Dance of the Seven Veils, Salomé confers with her mother and requests that Herod Antipas deliver the head of John the Baptist on a platter as a gift for her performance.
She is a princess, a temptress, manipulator, and destroyer. Art history is rich with visual interpretations of Salomé’s story and as art inspires art (examples below), on the evening of December 9th,1905 in Dresden, Germany, composer Richard Strauss debuted his opera from Hedwig Lachmann’s German translation of Oscar Wilde’s 1891 French play, Salomé.
For her take on Strauss’s Salomé, UK-based comic artist and illustrator Tula Lotay gives us Salomé as Wilde and Strauss intended. She is strong and worthy of her place — sexual, dangerous, and intelligent. It can be said that these qualities are what made reviewers of the 1907 United States premiere at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City say, “the story is repugnant to Anglo-Saxon minds.” Over one hundred years later and audiences are still enthralled and captivated by the pagan dancer Salomé.
On Thursday, March 25th, Salomé by Tula Lotay will be available in the ETDC Shop.
Black Dragon Press will have prints available shipping from the UK. Details on the print are below.
‘Salomé’ by Tula Lotay
‘Salomé’ by Tula Lotay
18″ x 24″ Screenprint
9 Colors on Mohawk Cream Paper
Printed by DL Screenprinting
Limited Edition of 200
$50
‘Salomé’ (detail) by Tula Lotay
‘Salomé’ (detail) by Tula Lotay
‘Salomé with the head of John the Baptist’ by Mariano Salvador Maella (1761)
‘Salomé and the Apparition of the Baptist’s Head’ by Gustave Moreau (1876)
‘Salomé’ by Titian (1515)
‘Dance of Salomé’ by Armand Point (1898)
‘Salomé’ by Franz von Stuck (1906)
‘Salomé’ by Henri Regnault (1870)
