From the monthly archives:
Valentine’s Day is behind us, at least for the year, and visions of chubby Cupids juxtaposed with stylized hearts are finally fading from memory. However, I am not done with the holiday quite yet. Oh no, I have to go and bring up something that evokes Valentine’s Day yet again. Mea culpa. For some reason, [...]
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Yesterday, I listed some of the tragic heroines from Greek myth who inspired popular works of art in the Nineteenth century. Today, let’s visit the dark side, and take a look at some femmes fatales, or dangerous women, from myth and legend. Again, I am going to keep with the theme of ancient Greece. So [...]
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The following list of tragic heroines from Greek mythology was inspired by something I read recently in the book Olympian Dreamers. These forlorn figures were popular subjects with some of the Victorian Classical painters. Indeed, the heroines are described in the book as being the victims of “personal misfortune or disappointed love”.
Andromeda
Antigone
Ariadne
Danae
Eurydice
Hero
Iphigenia
Persephone
Psyche
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Recently, I decided to reread a book I had originally studied long ago. Don’t worry, the topic is indeed related to both art and mythology. Okay, I will stop teasing you now and tell you more about this book, which is called, compellingly, Olympian Dreamers.
Let’s begin the review with some basics about the book. Olympian [...]
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The painting The Abduction of Psyche (which is also known by the French title Le ravissement de Psyché) is one of artist William Bouguereau’s most recognizable and famous works. The Abduction of Psyche was inspired by an episode from Classical mythology, and Bouguereau was certainly not the first to be fascinated by the legend. Indeed, [...]
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There has been a great deal of controversy about the identity of Homer. He is the author credited with “writing” (or creating) the two great epics from ancient Greek civilization: the Iliad and the Odyssey. Scholars debated (and some still do) for decades about whether there was an actual man known as Homer, or if [...]
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The other day, I shared a brief glimpse of the Parthenon. Today, I thought it would be interesting to take a closer look at this monument. Specifically, at some of the details. First, let’s begin with a quick recap of what the Parthenon is.
In the city of Athens, the ancient Athenians dedicated an awe-inspiring monument [...]
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Dionysos plays an active role in many works of poetry, tragedy and comedy (he was the patron god of the theater, after all), and of course, has his share of mythological stories. And one of the most intriguing is the story of Dionysos at Sea.
One of numerous Homeric Hymns tells the tale of the abduction [...]
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The name of this legendary ancient Greek temple - Parthenon - is taken from the word Parthenos, one of the epithets of the goddess Athena. And indeed, this glorious work of architecture was originally dedicated to the patron goddess of the city of Athens.
However, the Parthenon is much more than a monument to Athena - [...]
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For today, I thought I would share an Ode that features the Roman god Mercury.
Great Mercury, by Maia sprung
From Atlas; god of nimble tongue
And understanding; saviour
Of our raw race, who deigned to teach
Man wrestling, grace of body, speech
And civilised behaviour,
You are the one my poem sings -
The lyre’s inventor; he who brings
Heaven’s messages; the witty
Adventurer [...]
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