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Venus" by seventeenth-century artist Michele Rocha
With an endless store of sensual subjects and tragic narratives, Greek mythology has long been a theme favored by artists around the globe, in almost every artistic era. Whether it be beautiful goddesses, beings with unearthly powers, or unlucky youths surrounded by intrugue, mythological themes fascinate and captivate audiences who delight in these timeless images.
Botticelli's Primavera (Allegory of Spring)
The Renaissance artist Sandro Botticelli painted his subjects in large scale. His "Primavera" (Allegory of Spring) illustrates Venus, the Roman Aphrodite, surrounded by other mythological creatures including the Graces and Cupid. The painting is said to celebrate love and marriage. Botticelli completed the work between 1480 and 1482. It originally hung in the bedroom of a young Medici woman, but can now be found in the Galleria degli Uffizi in Florence. Botticelli is also well known for his "Birth of Venus."
Peter Paul Reubens' Hero and Leander
In "Hero and Leander," the Flemish artist Reubens illustrates a tragic Greek myth. Each night, the youthful Leander swam through strong water for a clandestine rendezvous with a priestess of Aphrodite. When a storm drowned her lover, Hero threw herself into the water to share his fate. Reubens created the painting in 1605 after studying the work of Renaissance artists in Italy. Reubens painted many mythological scenes including "Perseus and Andromeda," "Bacchus," "The Three Graces," and "The Judgment of Paris."
Lord Frederick Leighton's Daedalus and Icarus
Leighton's work features the Greek mythological inventor and his fated son. Trapped in a labyrinth he built for King Minos, Daedalus fashioned wings for their escape. Against his father's advice, Icarus flew dangerously close to the sun and fell to his death. The British artist painted this example of Victorian Neo-Classicalism sometime around 1869. In his attempt to reflect images from the Golden Age of Greece, Leighton also painted "Clytie," a figure from Greek mythology.
Bouguereau's Nymphs and Satyr
The pre-impressionist work by the French artist William Bouguereau depicts a struggle between nymphs caught by a Satyn while bathing in the wood. The indignant maidens try to drag the onlooker into the water. The painting was displayed in Paris in 1873, but has been part of a collection at the Clark Art Institute since 1943. Other works by Bougeureau that are based on mythological themes include, "The Rapture of Psyche," "The Return of Spring," and "Homer and His Guide."
Picasso's Dryad
"Dryad," another name for the tree nymph in Greek mythology, was painted by the Spanish artist Pablo Picasso in 1908. The painting is considered an early example of Cubism, an influential development in 20th-century art. "Dryad" displays bold color schemes, and a large scale subject using a technique noticeably different from earlier works of art. Picasso painted similar scenes that involved mythological themes, many of which represent his alter-ego as the Minotaur.
