When we first look at the Murder in the House by Jakub Schikaneder, we see a dead woman lying on the ground with blood on her head. There’s blood on the floor and door behind the woman. There is a broken glass on the right side of the painting, and 10 people on the left watching the woman lying on the ground, one of them a small child. If we look at the facial expressions of these people starting from the left, the facial expression of the woman wearing a brown shawl is quite unresponsive. The man in the pink shirt next to him is very curious, listening to the narrator speaking in front of him. The faces of the figures in the picture, including the child, mostly have expressions of curiosity. No sadness, worry or fear. As can be seen from the clothes of the people, the incident took place in a poor neighborhood. The clothes on the figures are old clothes, far from being stylish and new. It is possible to say that he is talking about the event, as one hand of the man who is expressing something with enthusiasm shows the woman lying on the ground. It seems that everyone is curious about who the murderer is and how it happened. There is no sadness or sadness for the death of the woman. There is no pain on the faces of the figures, and there is an atmosphere of watching a normalized event and being taken for granted. Therefore, what the painting clearly states is that it is not the first time they have encountered such events and they are accustomed to what has happened. It doesn’t seem like it would be too surprising to him, especially the child figure’s careful scrutiny of the woman, far from being worried and frightened.

Position Analysis of the “Main Character” of the Painting

We can think that the woman lying on the ground escaped from a brawl at home due to her body position. The fact that her feet are bare and her body is lying face down proves this. The bruise on the woman’s left elbow is an indication that she was subjected to violence. Therefore, there is a possibility that he did not commit suicide as well as the possibility of having committed suicide. Traces of blood on the door behind the woman, probably the killer. The killer may have smeared blood trails while fleeing the scene. In addition, the woman may have been thrown from the upper floor. The drop position is also suitable for this option. In the final analysis, what is certain is that the brawl took place inside the house and the woman died in front of the house. The blood accumulating on the ground is another indication of this.

If we look at where the event is pictured, this is a courtyard in a Jewish town in Prague, on Rabinska street, which leads to Spitalska street and the other side is a dead end. At that time, the most dangerous streets of the city were here. He lived in this area in the 1870s in Schikaneder. Therefore, it is possible that he painted an event that he witnessed. Murder at Home represents a rare attempt in Czech art of the last third of the 19th century to express both realist and naturalistic tendencies in painting.

A Look From Today
The first striking point to look at the painting from today is undoubtedly the woman lying dead on the floor. This figure naturally brings to mind the femicide in our society. The painting was made in 1890, but it is possible to say that some things have not changed in the 131 years that have passed. The question of who the murderer is appears in the minds of almost everyone who sees the picture. I think that what the artist wants to emphasize in the painting is to show a murdered woman the more or less similar attitude of every individual in the society, rather than who the murderer is. We can say that the size of the table is 203×321 cm, to ensure that the picture is examined in detail and attracts attention. The people around are portrayed in a spectator position, not in a helping manner such as weeping and wailing or covering the woman. The segment targeted by the artist with his painting, the people watching the painting, is us. I think there is a social criticism here. This picture reminds me of the headlines I hear frequently in the news, showing that a century ago, similar events were responded to with similar attitudes and attitudes. During that period, we see how much the murders of women were taken for granted and become commonplace on the faces of the figures in the painting. For an event to be taken for granted and become commonplace, it must have happened many times. Just like today. I think the table is up-to-date in this sense.

Summary
In the final analysis, the painting focuses on the problem of violence against women in the society, but on the other hand, it also criticizes the people who normalize the event outside of the framework of “who are exposed to violence and perpetrators of violence”. Thus, painting is meaningful because it is a representation that includes the state, life and attitude of today’s society.