Artwork
David and Goliath
David and Goliath is an oil painting by the Early Baroque Italian artist Guillaume Courtois. It dates from 1650 and is held in the collection of the Capitoline Museums.
About this work
Overview
David and Goliath is an oil painting created by Guillaume Courtois around 1650. It is housed at the Capitoline Museums.
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts a woman in a pink dress standing over a fallen man, holding a sword aloft. The scene is set against a backdrop of water, mountains, and foliage, with additional figures in the distance. The woman's identity and the narrative context are suggested by the title's reference to the biblical story of David and Goliath.
Technique & Style
The work employs chiaroscuro, a technique characterized by strong contrasts between light and dark. This is evident in the use of light and shadow to define the figures and their surroundings, a stylistic trait shared with other artists of the period.
Artist & collection
Artist
Guillaume Courtois or italianized as Guglielmo Cortese, called Il Borgognone or Le Bourguignon, was a Free Burgundian-Italian painter, draughtsman and etcher.
