Revealing His Secret

Samson and Delilah engraving by the French artist Paul Gustave Doré (1832–1883) from the illustrated Bible (1866). Obviously Samson is explaing the importance of his long hair. Poor fool.

Samson and Delilah

Samson and Delilah by the Dutch painter Adriaen van der Werff (1669-1722).

Samson Sleeping

Samson Delilah by the French painter Gustave Moreau (1826–1898).

Glamorous Delilah

Delilah (1948) by the great Australian born artist Henry Clive.

Clive started in the 1920's painting Ziegfeld Girls, then big stars like Gloria Swanson and Polga Negri for promo campaigns. Later he painted covers for American Weekly. He specialized in elegant glamorous women. His Delilah here is represented by the American singer and actress Beryl Wallace.

Magnificent Lady

Delilah by the French painter Gustave Moreau (1826–1898). Moreau was fascinated by gorgeous destructive women Eve, Delilah, Salome, Helen or Cleopatra. He painted various Delilahs alone.

Samson and Delilah

Samson and Delilah (1537) by the German Renaissance painter Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472-1533).
As it was normal in that time the painting is full of narrative details. First there is Delilah cutting the hair. The hero is barefoot, indicating that he’s sleeping. On the other hand he wears his armor to show that he’s a warrior. In front of him there is the jawbone his most famous weapon, with which he killed once a thousand men. And in the woods are already approaching his enemies, to take him prisoner.

Supeman’s Weakness

Lois Lane as Delilah is cutting Superman’s hair and robbing him his superpowers. A charming comic adaptation of the old myth.

Delilah - Film

The American actress Hedy Lamarr as Delilah in the film Samson and Delilah (1949). It’s interesting to see this more recent interpretation of the old myth, especially the typical Hollywood makeup and hairstyle of the early 1950s.

Exotic Scenery

Samson and Delilah by the British neoclassical painter Joseph Solomon (1860–1927).

It’s a very well done painting showing a lot of dramatic action in an exotic scenery. Delilah is mocking Samson who is overcome by a great number of enemies. There are strong influences of history and of oriental paintings which were very fashionable in this time.

Academic Delilah

Samson and Delilah (1878) by the French Academic Painter Alexandre Cabanel (1823-1889).

Cabanel was the preferred painter of Napoleon III and one of the leading representatives of the so called “L'art pompier”. He and William-Adolphe Bouguereau formed the strongest resistance against any modern art movement in the final decades of the 19th century.
His Delilah may serve as a good example for that pseudo-realistic art which is technically perfectly done and formed the culmination of academic art.

The Arrest of Samson

Here the sleeping Samson is arrested by a group of well armed soldiers. In the background Delilah is withdrawing, triumphantly she holds Samson’s hair in one and the scissors in the other hand.

Samson (1636) by Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (1606-1669). It’s typical baroque, totally concentrated on the dramatic movements and the newly discovered light effects.

Modern Delilah

Here a relatively modern interpretation of Samson and Delilah. It’s by the German painter Max Liebermann (1847-1935). The painting is not pretending to be realistic. There are no historical costumes or exotic accessories. There is only a modern looking woman who is triumphantly waving with the hair of Samson. It is a kind of scalp, her trophy.

Samson and Delilah (1902)

Samson and Delilah

Samson was one of the great Heroes of the Israelites in their fights with the Philistines. God had granted him a superhuman strength to combat his enemies and perform heroic feats unachievable by normal humans. So he overcame a lion with his bare hands or an entire army with only a jawbone of a donkey.

His end came when he fell in love with Delilah a Philistine woman. Living with Samson Delilah was asked by her people to find out the secret of Samson’s strength. Insisting for a long time she found out finally that the source of Samson’s supernatural power lies in his long hair. When she had found out Delilah cut Samson’s hair and called her people. The Philistines captured Samson and blinded him. As a prisoner he had to work in a mill grinding grain, which was the typical work for slaves.

Later when the Philistines wanted to celebrate their triumph they took Samson to their temple. But in the meantime Samson’s hair had grown long again and he had recovered his old strength. Tied to the temple's central pillars Samson was able to break them and led the whole temple come down. There he died with many of his enemies. What happened to Delilah is not mentioned.

The story of Samson and Delilah is therefore primarily that of a valiant warrior who became a victim of his passion and his treacherous wife. But what did Delilah really? She betrayed Samson, but she risked a lot for her people the Philistines. In the end I cannot see a big difference between her and Judith. That one is a traitor and the other a hero depends only on the perspective of Israelites.

But it’s not my turn to judge Delilah. I will show the interpretations of the artists. And there dominated the naïve hero who is betrayed because he trusted his wife.

On this “Samson and Delilah” painting from about 1610 by the Flemish Baroque painter Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) yet the most important characteristics can be seen. The nude breasts of Delilah symbolize not only sexual attraction but also a false motherly security. There is the strong Hercules-like figure of Samson, who is falling victim of his trustfulness. In the background is a statue of Venus and Cupid, indicating the cause of Samson's fate.