Friday 15 June 2007

Samson and Delilah - Rubens


Peter Paul Rubens's Samson and Delilah (1609), just one of a series of Old Masters pasted around unlikely window fronts in London in a spot of guerilla marketing by the National Gallery. Story here in the Telegraph.
The critic Andrew Graham-Dixon said: "I can see that they may well appeal to graffiti artists. They invited a Banksy type of intervention and I suspect we are going to get some interesting juxtapositions between the paintings and street art.

"I hope that this idea generates a new street lingo. You can imagine people making arrangements on the phone saying, 'I'll meet you at Whistlejacket at 12.30' and getting the reply, 'No, it's more convenient to meet at Samson and Delilah'."
Great idea. What a shame, if they were intent on using the Samson theme, they didn't choose the far better Blinding of Samson by Rembrandt* (1636). Much better. Much more to my taste.
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* Do make sure you click on the smaller picture to enjoy the full-screen image.

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