81-90 Mythological Survey

  • Upload
    djpeet

  • View
    229

  • Download
    0

Embed Size (px)

Citation preview

  • 7/29/2019 81-90 Mythological Survey

    1/10

    An Overview of Classical Mythology

    81

    Art ist : Benvenuto Cel l in i

    (1500 - 1571)

    Date: 1545 1554

    Locat ion: The Loggia dei Lanzi in

    the Piazza del la Signoria ,Florence

    Descript ion: This eighteen foot

    sculpture was the f irst

    monumental bronze to be cast in

    Florence during the Sixteenth

    Century. Cel l in i writes in his

    Aut ob iography about the way he

    simulated the pouring of molten

    metal in the blood which f lows

    from the severed head and the

    torso of the Gorgon. I t was from

    the blood of Medusa that the

    winged horse Pegasus arose (see

    page 77) and f lew to Parnassus

    where it became a symbol of

    art ist ic inspirat ion. Cel l in i thus

    transforms his mythical source

    materia l into a k ind of self-

    portrait which is a lmost unique

    in Renaissance Art , with its

    humble yet noble

    acknowledgement of heroic

    achievement and its oddly

    beautiful treatment of apotentia l ly gris ly subject .

    The goddess Minerva, indignant at the vanity of the mortal Medusa (one of three s isters

    col lect ively known as the Gorgons), transform ed her hair into a nest of writhing serpents

    and cursed her with a stare that turned other mortals to stone. When Medusa further

    insulted the goddess by making love to Neptune in one of Minervas shrines, the hero

    Perseus was recruited, outfitted, tra ined, and dispatched as an assass in. For his miss ion

    he used the talar ia of Mercury (see p. 67) and approached the s leeping Gorgon by walking

    backwards and us ing a pol ished shield as a mirror. When Perseus presented the head of

    Medusa to his divine patroness, she aff ixed it to the aegis which her father Jupiter had

    given her (see page 74).

  • 7/29/2019 81-90 Mythological Survey

    2/10

    An Overview of Classical Mythology

    82

    Art ist : Annibale Carracci (1560 -

    1609) was arguably the most

    eclect ic of the three Baroque

    art ists who operated a family

    studio in late Sixteenth Century

    Rome. His brother Agost ino and

    their cousin Ludovico were a lsoprol if ic , however, and the three

    painters frequently col laborated

    on large-scale projects .

    Date: 1597

    Locat ion: The Farnese Gallery,

    Rome

    Descript ion: Polyphemus Furioso

    represents the blinded giants

    fut i le attempts to crush Ulysses

    and his men after discovering

    that they had escaped from his

    cave.

    Polyphemus the Cyclops ( l i teral ly, s ingle wheel-s ized eye) was NOT related to the threegigantic sons of Tel lus who worked in Vulcans forge and manufactured thunderbolts for

    Jupiter (see pages 62, 65). Polyphemus was a son of the Sea God Neptune and l ived a lone

    in a cave on the is land of Sic i ly. Although he was famil iar with f ire, he subsisted a lmost

    exclus ively on raw meat and cheese. In one of the most well-known episodes from

    Homers Odyssey, when Odysseus/Ulysses and his men ventured ashore near the s ite of

    modern Catania to forage, they took wine with them to barter for food in case they

    encountered local inhabitants .

    When they found the cave of Polyphemus, they proceeded to help themselves to his

    cheese and were caught in the act . The giant imprisoned them by blocking the door of his

    dwell ing with an enormous boulder and announced his intention to eat th em, but promptly

    fel l into a stupor when he swigged down an amphora or two of the Greeks a lcohol, a

    beverage unknown to him. Ulysses and his men managed to bl ind their s leeping captor

    with a log which they sharpened and heated in the caves hearth f ire. They then hid by

    cl inging to the underbell ies of Polyphemuss apparently huge sheep and escaped when,

    despite his raging attempts to bar their exit , he routinely released his f lo ck to graze.

    In the Carracci paint ing above, Polyphemus vainly attacks the interlopers who maimed

    him. Clearly, the myth ra ises quest ions of various sorts about brut ish versus so -cal led

    civi l ized behavior and about the nature of wil iness. I t a lso accounts for the wrath of

    Neptune which contributed to the eventual deaths of Uly sses whole crew.

  • 7/29/2019 81-90 Mythological Survey

    3/10

    An Overview of Classical Mythology

    83

    Dates and Locat ions: Cast circa 400 BC, this bronze depict i on of the Chimaera was

    discovered near what is now the modern Tuscan city of Arezzo in 1553 and immediately

    became a prize possess ion of the Medici Grand Duke Cosimo I . Cosimo placed it on display

    in the Palazzo Vecchio. He kept the smaller bronzes unearthed along with it in his private

    chambers at the Pitt i Palace where he a lone polished them. The Chimaera is now in the

    col lect ion of Florences National Archeological Museum. Part of its ta i l was restored in

    the Eighteenth Century.

    Descript ion: The word TINSCVIL which appears on one of the sculptures legs remains a

    subject of scholarly debate. Because the Etruscan language has yet to be ful ly cracked

    by class ic ists , the prevai l ing hypothesis interprets the word as a vot ive inscript ion to T in

    (or T inia) , the Etruscan God of Dayl ight. The Etruscans divided the year into three

    seasons, named for the Serpent, the Goat, and the Lion, so the hybrid Chi maera may well

    have been more important to them than we real ize.

    In the oldest Greek mythological sources (e.g. , Hesiod and Homer), the Chimaera is

    described as a f ire-breathing female creature which terrorized the land of Lycia. I t was

    the offspring of the monsters Typhon and Echidna; Cerberus (see Divider for C. I I I ) was one

    of its s ibl ings; i t was said, moreover, to have mated with Orthrus and given birth to both

    the Nemean Lion and the Sphinx.

    King Iobates asked the hero Bel lerophon, who had tamed Pegasus ( see pages 77 and 81), to

    destroy the Chimaera. In an interest ing l iterary a l lus ion to the metal lurgic arts ,

    Bel lerophon flew above his prey with a large chunk of lead which he t r icked the rampant

    beast into melt ing over itself , thus stopping i ts mouth and permitt ing him to spear it .

    For many centuries thereafter, s ight ings of the Chimaera were associated with natural

    disasters , especia l ly volcanic eruptions. I t became a popular decorat ive motif in ceramics ,

    and its name eventual ly came to be used for many differen t zoomorphic hybrids.

  • 7/29/2019 81-90 Mythological Survey

    4/10

    An Overview of Classical Mythology

    84

    Art ist : Leonor Fini (1908 1996) ,

    though born in Argentina, grew

    up in her I ta l ian mothers

    hometown of Trieste before

    sett l ing for most of her l i fe in

    Paris . She is perhaps the most

    internat ional of the greatSurreal ist painters , and left an

    enormous body of dist inct ively

    erot ic and borderl ine-hideous

    art .

    Date: This original color

    l ithograph was published in an

    edit ion of 195 s igned

    impress ions in 1970. Every

    major modern art col lect ion

    includes works by Fini .

    Descript ion: Ent it led

    Vespert i l ia, this image of a

    mythological harpy is remarkable

    for its stubby, seemingly

    ineffectual wings and its savage

    raptor- l ike ta lons.

    The earl iest depict ions of Harpies appear on Ancient Greek grave markers. The Harpies

    were, etymological ly, pluckers who swept down on humans and fed on their l i fe-forces.

    Three in number (Aello = storm wind, Celaeno = darkness and Ocypete = swift

    wing), they were the s isters of I r is , the goddess of the r ainbow. Like the deadly,

    seduct ive Sirens (to whom they were NOT related ge nealogical ly) these creatures

    possessed the attributes of both birds and women.

    The Harpies appear in the story of Jasons Quest for the Golden Fleece (and as such made

    Claymation history in 1963). They also appear in Vergi l s epic poem The Aeneid. In these

    two contexts they befoul their v i ct ims food in order to starve them. In Fini s print , the

    pastel colors are characterist ica l ly paradoxical , and the mask at the upl ifted end of the

    unusual ta i l adds a note between mockery and mystery.

  • 7/29/2019 81-90 Mythological Survey

    5/10

    An Overview of Classical Mythology

    85

    Art ist : Alessandro Bott icel l i

    (1444 1510)

    Date: This paint ing, completed in

    1482 for the townhouse of

    Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco (1463 -

    1503) was presumed lost forcenturies. In 1895, it was

    discovered in a storage c loset of

    the Pitt i Palace. I t may have

    been hidden there to protect it

    from Savanarola s Bonfires of

    Vanit ies , the most infamous of

    which occurred in 1497.

    Locat ion: The Uffizi Gal lery,

    Florence

    Descript ion: This paint ing,

    analyzed below, does not depict

    a specif ic myth or even a specif ic

    centaur. I t is an a l legorical

    treatment of a theme from the

    writ ings of Mars i l io F ic ino (1433

    1499), a phi losopher in the

    court of the Medici whose

    synthesis of ancient Greek

    concepts with Christ ian doctrine

    produced a radical ly new

    (Neoplatonic) v iew of the world

    which deeply influenced many

    Renaissance art ists .

    In c lass ical mythology, centaurs (human and horse hybrids) , l ike satyrs (see page 86), are

    associated with drunkenness and predatory sexual behavior. In Bott icel l i s composit ion, a

    centaur has invaded a precinct guarded by the goddess Miner va shown carrying the

    halberd of a F lorentine sentry. The wilderness creature, c learly out of place in a c ivic

    context and - - to the l iterate mind - - a personif icat ion of lust , bends one f inger as i f to

    prepare his bow for some violent act . The goddess, a personif icat ion of chast ity, has

    grabbed the intruder by the hair, interr upting his intentions, and painful ly twi sts his head

    to confront her unagitated gaze. This somewhat ambiguous encounter, read from the

    perspect ive of Fic inos writ ings, symbolizes the self-control led individuals arrest of

    sensual pass ion and the victory of cerebral aspirat ions to enl ightenment .

  • 7/29/2019 81-90 Mythological Survey

    6/10

    An Overview of Classical Mythology

    86

    Date: F irst Century BC

    Locat ion: Recovered in 1830

    from a cubiculum , or bedroom, in

    the so-cal led House of the Faun,

    one of Ancient Pompeii s most

    richly furnished privateres idences, this mosaic is now in

    the col lect ion of the National

    Archeological Museum in Naples.

    Descript ion: The eruption of

    Mount Vesuvius in AD 79

    precipitated torrentia l ra in and

    contributed a huge amount of

    ash to the mudsl ides which

    buried Pompeii . Centuries later,

    a series of internat ional ly-

    sponsored digs unearthed a

    surpris ingly intact c ity as well as

    an enormous number of art ifacts

    and works of art . Three of the

    most magnificent mosaics to

    survive the natural disaster in

    Campania came from the House

    of the Faun (see detai ls below).

    Inscript ions at the House of the Faun suggest that it belonged to the Saturnini branch of

    the Satrian gens. This may account, as a k ind of word-play-key-to- interior -design, for thelarge number of satyrs ( fauns in Lat in) e xecuted in mult iple media found at this part icu lar

    s ite. The mosaic above uses tesserae , or meticulously-shaped and precisely-colored stone,

    glass , or glazed ceramic cubes - - as opposed to pebbl es and stone chips of approximately

    s imilar shape and hue.

    In c lass ical mythology, satyrs/fauns were demons who populated woo dlands and

    uninhabited areas. They were represented in a variety of ways, but a lways - - as in the

    ears of the sun -burnt f igure above - - with one or more goat- l ike features ( goat- l ike

    being the Ancient Greek adject ive most often used to describe ind iscriminately ravenous

    and horny adolescent boys). Satyrs were frequently depicted in ant iquity as fol lowers of

    Dionysus/Bacchus (see page 68) and as the companions of nymphs who were more or less

    reluctant vict ims of their lechery.

    I have included a highl ight on satyrs/fauns here, because the y are extremely common

    figures in a variety of decorat ive schemes, from frescoes to fountains. They are a

    reminder of the animist ic origins of re l igion in the Ancient World, and their ubiquity a lso

    proves that the f irst Romans had a pronounced interest in erot ic art .

  • 7/29/2019 81-90 Mythological Survey

    7/10

    An Overview of Classical Mythology

    87

    Art ist : Michelangelo Buonarott i ( 1475 1564)

    Date: 1533

    Locat ion: The Royal Col lect ion - - Windsor Cast le, Eng land

    Descript ion: This drawing in black chalk is an excel lent example of what we wil l see at

    Florences Casa Buonarott i . I have included it here chiefly in order to showcase yet

    another genre in which Michelangelo excel led.

    The goddess Juno enraged (as she often was) by one of her husbands extra-marita l affa irs ,

    dispatched the giant T ityus to the is l and of Delos where the goddess Leto/Latona had just

    given birth to Apollo and Diana. T ityus was instructed by the aggrieved Queen of the Gods

    to ravish and murder Leto (whom Juno herself had ineffectual ly harassed for months).

    The twin deit ies , however, protected their mother and pierced her assai lant with

    presumably infant-s ized arrows (see pages 66, 75, and 78). Jupiter consigned Tityus for

    eternity to Tartarus, a sect ion of the Underworld where punishments were perpetual. Two

    eagles dai ly ate the giant s l iver, which grew back overnight only to be eaten again.

    T ityus is not a common subject in either Ancient or Renaissance Ar t , but other denizens of

    Tartarus appear often in admonitory contexts . Michelangelo, in The Sist ine Chapels Last

    Ju dgment, invented a punishment worthy of Tartarus for his nemesis Biagio da Cesena, the

    Vaticans Master of Ceremonies. When de Cesena recognized himself among the damned

    being sucked in a very sensit ive area by a snake, he protested to the Pope, who al legedly

    replied, Your authority does not extend to Hell . The paint ing wil l not be altered.

  • 7/29/2019 81-90 Mythological Survey

    8/10

    An Overview of Classical Mythology

    88

    Date: Circa 440 B.C.

    Locat ion: Presumably once part

    of a series (see note below), The

    Wounded Niobid was discovered

    during the excavat ion of the

    Hort i Sal lust iani and is now oneof the major attract ions in

    Romes mult i-s ite Museo

    Nazionale, currently on display

    at the Palazzo Massimo al la

    Terme venue.

    Descript ion: An original Parian

    marble, this work by an unknown

    art ist is relat ively rare,

    especia l ly s ince much Ancient

    Greek sculpture is known to the

    modern world exclus ively

    through Ancient Roman copies.

    Many a mortal in c lass ical

    mythology meets with personal

    tragedy by dishonoring or

    unconsciously defying the gods.

    One such individual was the

    Theban Queen Niobe, who not

    only boasted proudly (even

    just i f iably) about her fourteen

    children, but dared to contrastherself with the goddess

    Leto/Latona whose only

    offspring were Apollo and Diana

    (see page 67).

    The offended lesser deity turned to her Olympian twins for vindicat ion, and one-by-one

    Apollo s lew s ix of Niobes seven sons while Diana s lew s ix of the seven Theban princesses.

    For a number of reasons, this massacre was a frequently treated subject in the l iterature

    and plast ic arts of the Ancient World. Typical ly, each of the twelve innocent young adult

    vict ims col lect ively cal led Niobids is portrayed dying in a sudden and dist inct ively

    different manner (not unl ike the characters in a s lasher f i lm, though with much m ore

    poignance).

    After f leeing to her fat her on Mt. Sipylus in Asia Minor, the griev ing Niobe grew so pale

    and motionless that some of the gods, taking pity on her, transformed her into a weeping

    rock, or c l i ff face with a tr ick l ing waterfa l l . As works of art , the Niobids, part icularly in

    groups, were both reminders of mortal it y and warnings to avoid impiety.

  • 7/29/2019 81-90 Mythological Survey

    9/10

    An Overview of Classical Mythology

    89

    Artists: According to the Roman writer Pliny the Elder, this life -size grouping was the handiwork ofthree contemporary artists principally active on the island of Rhodes: Agesander, Athenodoros and

    Polydorus.

    Dates and Locations: Most likely sculpted between 42 BC and 20 BC, this masterpiece was unearthed

    in 1506 by laborers tilling soil for a vineyard within what had once been the Emperor Neros

    expansive Domus Aurea compound. Immediately called to the attention of Pope Julius II, who was

    an avid antiquarian, Michelangelo accompanied the pontiff to witness the excavation and to oversee

    its transfer to the Belvedere Garden, where it is officially launched the formation of todays Vatican

    Museums.

    Description: The Phrygian priest Laocoon was one of only two individuals to recognize the Trojan

    Horse as a deadly ruse. The god Neptune, who had thrown his support to the Greek alliance during

    the course of its protracted war in the Troad, sent sea serpents to silence the priest. When Laocoon

    and his sons (depicted here as collateral damage in a prominence/importance ratio) were strangled

    by the supernatural creatures, Troy naturally assumed that the warnings were blasphemous.

    A quintessential image of mankinds tragic condition, the Laocoon grouping evokes pathos because

    the central figures only misdeed was to tell a truth that certain gods wished to keep hidden. The

    absolute futility of the trios struggle and the agony on the face of the fathe r whose final moments

    amount to a soul-crushing anagnorisis, or eleventh-hour epiphany, account in part for the unique

    power of the work.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agesander_of_Rhodeshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athenodoroshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polydorushttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polydorushttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athenodoroshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agesander_of_Rhodes
  • 7/29/2019 81-90 Mythological Survey

    10/10

    An Overview of Classical Mythology

    90

    Artists: The singer/dancer/swimmers in this photo are visiting artists from the Solistenensemble

    Kaleidoscop Vocalconsort performing with the German dance company Sasha Waltz and Guests.

    They are shown here enacting a scene from Dido and Aeneas (1689) by the British court composer

    Henry Purcell (1659 1695) in an innovative production ofthe worlds first underwater opera.

    Waltz (b. 1963) choreographed the work in a one-ton water tank large enough for seventeen actors

    who are all submerged at some point but who surface when it is their time to sing.

    Date: World Premiere Berlin, 2005

    Description: To bring this binder full circle from page 01, I have returned to the story of Aeneas, as

    immortalized by the Roman poet Virgil.

    A refugee from Ancient Troy who has not yet discerned that his destiny lies in Italy, Aeneas is

    shipwrecked along with his small fleet of followers on the coast of North Africa (thus the aquatic

    setting for this tragic tale-set-to-music of an impossible love affair during the interruption of a

    voyage). The Trojans, whose tragic story has preceded them, are welcom ed by the Phoenician

    Queen Dido, herself the survivor of a coup in her native Sidon. Dido has just founded Carthage, the

    capital of an Empire which will eventually wage three wars with Rome (see page 05).

    Juno, whose hatred for Troy sets a highwater mark in world literature, conspires with Aeneas

    mother Venus to ignite romance between the hero and his hostess. While this dalliance postponesthe founding of Rome by a few months, it ends abruptly with emotionally drastic repercussions for

    Queen Dido, who watches the departing Trojan ships (refurbished at her own expense) and takes

    her life swearing that her kingdom will one day rise against the descendants of Aeneas. The

    vulnerability and suffering of Dido in Romes national epic The Aeneidtogether with the long-term

    ramifications of her dying curse reinforce the fundamental notion in Ancient Literature and Religion

    that the gods --almost capriciously, often pettily -- set in motion chains of deeds and consequences

    which topple unlucky mortals while advancing divine favorites.