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Judas Iscariot
William Etty·c. 1805
Historical Context
The betrayer of Christ appears as a study in moral corruption rendered through physiognomy—a subject that allowed Etty to explore the darker registers of human expression. Painted around 1805, this Judas Iscariot held at the Sheffield Galleries and Museums Trust reflects the nineteenth-century belief that inner character could be read through outward appearance. Etty's treatment draws on the tradition of expressive heads that stretches back through Reynolds to the character studies of Rembrandt.
Technical Analysis
Etty models the face with dramatic chiaroscuro, using deep shadows to suggest the moral darkness of the subject. The flesh tones are notably cooler and more sallow than in his idealized figures, conveying corruption through color. His brushwork is vigorous and somewhat rough, appropriate to the turbulent character portrayed.
Look Closer
- ◆Notice the dramatic chiaroscuro using deep shadows to suggest moral darkness — the flesh tones notably cooler and more sallow than in Etty's idealized figures, conveying corruption through color.
- ◆Look at the vigorous, somewhat rough brushwork appropriate to the turbulent character of Christ's betrayer.
- ◆Observe the nineteenth-century belief that inner character could be read through outward appearance, with Judas's moral corruption expressed through physiognomy.
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