Introduction
King Solomon is one of the most reputable kings in the Jewish mythological setting. The artistic depiction of King Solomon is essentially crucial in Jewish literature owing to the fundamentally vital aspects of his leadership. This paper will, therefore, focus on how King Solomon is depicted in art, what artists include and exclude in his depiction, the nature of his portrayal across different contexts, and how those artistic illustrations reveal the way people view him in the society.
King Solomon’s Depiction
King Solomon is depicted as a person who had rare, valuable, and strong attributes that commanded respect among the Jews. First, the artistic work depicts him as king with a lot of wisdom. He is regarded as a decisive person who solved conflicts among his subject, upheld moral values, and united the Jewish community. This was evident when he was solving a dispute between two women who claimed ownership for a child.
Obviously, he knew that one of the women was the legitimate mother of that child. While seeking to determine the biological mother, he suggested that the child should be cut into two halves so that each of them could go with a half. One of the women agreed to that decision while the other one refuted. As a result, King Solomon concluded that the one who refuted was the biological mother since she portrayed empathy toward her child. This was a clear manifestation of his decisiveness.
Second, her sexuality forms a crucial basis of his portrayal in literature. In this regard, he is depicted as polygamous since he had married 700 women. This aspect also suggests that he was extremely romantic because he had afforded such a number of wives. However, this aspect of polygamy evokes controversies in the modern world when people are evaluating the legality of polygamy.
Inclusions and Exclusions
In essence, there are various characteristics that are included in depiction of King Solomon while others are excluded. In most cases, artistic depicters include the positive attributes and leave the negative ones. For example, most artists do not reveal that King Solomon had married some women from foreign countries against the will of God.
Depictions across Context
Like other characters, depiction of King Solomon changes in accordance to culture and time. In this regard, King Solomon is associated with different attributes that correspond to the ideologies of diverse cultures. The depictions about his morality change since the right morals of one culture might become ill in another culture. For example, some cultures condemn King Solomon’s polygamous behavior since they view polygamy as an immoral attribute. On the other hand, other cultures consider polygamy as a legitimate factor of sexuality.
In addition, his depictions change with time due to the changing nature of the world. For instance, the traditional settings could not condemn his polygamous status since it was profoundly accepted. On the contrary, modern illustrations portray King Solomon sexuality as immoral owing to the recent embracement of monogamy.
Depiction and Societal Views
The holistic depictions of King Solomon show that people view him as reliable and a respectable character. The power of making informed decisions, solving conflicts, and uniting people implies that he was reliable. The society could seek advice from him in many issues.
Conclusion
It is evident that King Solomon is depicted as a reputable, decisive, and a wise character. In addition, depictions bear profound similarities in regard to what artists include and exclude in their illustrations. Lastly, it cannot be disputed that artistic portrayals of King Solomon change with time and across cultures.