How to read mythology through classical oil paintings with multiple details

In classical oil paintings, besides religion and royalty, the most depicted theme is ancient Greek/Roman mythology. Painters used oil paintings to express mythological stories, which not only added figurative images to the previous pale imaginations, but also made these mythological stories spread more intuitively, and became an important material for historians to study classical culture. Compared to the painting of religion and royalty, where any action, or body language has strict requirements and meanings, mythological stories, on the contrary, are much easier. In particular, the fantastical colors of mythological stories tested the imagination and artistic expression of painters, and since the gods and goddesses were usually thinly clad, this was the best way for painters to show the beauty of the naked human body.

Therefore, it is much more interesting to appreciate the oil paintings of classical mythology.

The earliest Greek myths originated from oral folklore, especially the bard Homer's Iliad and Odyssey and two of Hesiod's poems, "The Genealogy of the Gods" and "The Work and the Hours," which set forth a wealth of stories about the origins of the world and the divine rule. With the rule of Rome, ancient Greek mythology was also embraced, imitated and adapted by the Romans, who changed the original Greek names of the characters in the original Greek myths to Roman names for their glorification, and as a result, a single god is often known by two different names in books on classical European mythology that are currently on the market.

In China, since it is understood that some of the names of the gods are better known by their Roman names, and some by their Greek names (e.g., the Greek name of the king of the gods, Zeus, is much more familiar than the Roman name, Jupiter, and the Roman name of the goddess of beauty, Venus, is much more palatable than her Greek name, Aphrodite), all the gods in this article have adopted the more widely known names.

Classical mythology is full of characters, including the twelve gods on Mount Olympus, the gods of the underworld, the gods of the sea, the gods of the sky, the primitive Greek gods who created the origin of the world, as well as the children born of Zeus' love affairs and the goddesses of all walks of life, which add up to thousands of gods. Different painters have different styles of painting, and even the same goddess looks different in their minds, so how does a painter distinguish between these thousands of gods in a classical painting, tell people who he is painting, and express what the story is?

Let's start with the most popular gossip about the gods - Zeus.

In religious paintings, we instantly recognize Jesus, or the Virgin Mary, often because the former always appears with a big beard, either crucified or followed by a bunch of saints, while the Virgin Mary is carrying a baby. Similarly, in mythological oil paintings, painters, in order to differentiate between the various deities, arrange details around the figures to suggest the identity of the subject.

The eagle, Zeus's divine animal, often follows him around. And Zeus has a problem, and often want to go to rob the beauty of the sperm. But tease the god such as Zeus, y understand that if he himself the image of the king of the gods directly to tease the girl, the goddess must be either refused or afraid, the most important thing is too easy to be found by their own wives can not avoid the family law. So, Zeus in order to steal fish, often turn themselves into fierce eagles, or tall and powerful cows, with the appearance of animals close to the unsuspecting goddess or human beauty.

Jupiter and Thetis, 1811, Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres

Zeus is seated on his throne, holding a cane in one hand and leaning on a cloud with the other, with a grave and dignified expression, while the eagle below the throne looks reverently at Zeus.

This is one of the few paintings that depicts a serious image of Zeus, although in the history of art, Zeus often as the protagonist in the paintings, but the vast majority of cases we can not see him himself, but he turned into an animal in the seduction of a good woman.

Zeus in the guise of an eagle:

Aegina Awaiting the Arrival of Zeus, Ferdinand Bol

The painting shows a young girl reclining naked on a bed, her arms spread wide in panic, as if startled by the sudden arrival of an eagle in the upper right-hand corner of the picture. The cherub in the lower right corner tugs at the maiden's clothing that covers her shame, and bows and arrows are scattered all over the floor. Bows and arrows, cherubs, such a combination in any place in a classical oil painting, we will understand - it is the god of love Cupid, and its presence in the oil painting suggests the love or erotic feelings generated by the protagonists in the story. The gold and silver jewelry piled up on the table in the lower left corner of the painting, and the servant on the right who lifts the bed curtains and hears the maiden's cries for help and rushes to find out what's going on, indicate the maiden's illustrious life.

Once we see a naked maiden and an animal in a classical painting, we know it must be Zeus. The maiden in the painting is is the daughter of the river goddess Asopos and the nymph Motoper, Aegina. Zeus, who had a crush on Aegina, transformed himself into an eagle one night and broke into her boudoir to take her captive. This reckless behavior alarmed Aegina's father, the god of the river, who then immediately got up and chased after his daughter. Zeus, who was pursued by the river god, did not want to be spoiled by him, so the gods had to strike a bolt of lightning at the river god, forcing him to return to his own waters. The river god found the lightning, understand the captivity of his daughter is the god of the sky Zeus, incomparable pain, had to stop chasing, and Ebina was Zeus brought to an uninhabited island, this island will be named Ebina Island.

Keywords: eagle + maiden (Egina), bow + cherub (Cupid)

The Abduction of Ganymede (ca. 1650), by Eustache Le Sueur

Besides the abduction of a beautiful maiden, Zeus sometimes abducts beautiful young men as well. Ganymede is the most famous example of same-sex love in Greek mythology. The ancient Greek poet Stratton wrote in a collection of poems: "The boyish twelve year old boy brings me joy, but it is the thirteen year old boy who arouses desire; the fourteen year old is the more delicate flower of love, and the one with more charm is the fifteen year old; the sixteen year old is the flower that is pursued by the gods, while the seventeen year old boy is simply the one that is pursued by the gods. and the seventeen-year-olds are not even my turn; only Zeus can enjoy them." --And it is from Ganymede again that the word "catamite" is derived.

Ganymedes was the illegitimate son of the Trojan king, raised by shepherds. Drinking goat's milk, he inherited the essence of royal blood, handsome and beautiful, so that Zeus could not help but fall in love with him as soon as he saw him.

Zeus kisses Ganymede, Wilhelm Bottner, 1780.

Zeus And Ganymede

Because this time he kidnapped a boy, Zeus did not have to be as sneaky as he used to be when he took his mistresses, and he could openly place him beside him to drink and enjoy himself. The jealous Hera could only be angry and dare not speak out. Zeus hopes that Ganymede can be accompanied by him every day, so he gave him a position, ordered him to pour wine beside himself, and this is the origin of Aquarius. Therefore, in classical paintings, if you see a bearded man looking affectionately at a beautiful boy holding a bottle of wine, it must be Zeus and Ganymede.

Keywords: eagle/bearded man + beautiful boy/beautiful boy with a flask (Ganymede)

The Theft of Fire, Christian Griepenkerl

A painting titled "Theft of Fire" tells us another story: Prometheus steals fire for the human race. The eagle and the jug of wine in the young man's hand suggest that the two sleeping men in the center of the painting are none other than the drunken Zeus and Ganymede. Prometheus poked his body out from behind the stone they were relying on and stole the fire, and in a flash of lightning, the artist used this small dazzling flash to make the originally calm and peaceful scene of the lovers sleeping soundly become tense. The protagonist of this work, Prometheus, is hidden in the shadow behind the stone by the painter, but instead, it reaches a sense of balance with the eagle on the leftmost side of the picture, which also hints at the ulterior background of this mission.

Prometheus Bound, Rubens

This painting by Rubens, a representative painter of the famous Baroque school of painting, "Prometheus Bound", vividly embodies the image of the theft of fire, Prometheus, who offended Zeus, was tied to the Caucasus mountain, and was pecked out of his entrails by eagles day in and day out, but still remained resolute and unyielding.

Keywords: kindling + man (Prometheus) eagle pecking out the body of a naked man (Prometheus)

Zeus pretending to be a bull:

The Abduction of Europa, Jean Fran?ois de Troy, 171 Before this time, all the classical paintings we have seen were dimly hued and sacredly solemn. Even when Zeus is depicted cheating on his wife, the ultimate goal is to show the "moment of truth". But this painting about the young girl Europa was incarnated in the bull Zeus away, but the color is bright and lively, full of happy and joyful atmosphere - that means that this piece of work is the French Rococo oil painting. During the Rococo period, the atmosphere of French society enjoyed lust and extravagance, but despite this, nude portraits were considered indecent. Therefore, painters would play on myths to satisfy the special hobbies of wealthy merchants, creating an erotic work of delightful colors.

The Plunder of Europa, Titian, 1559-62

In contrast to this Titian work, the focus of the painting's intent is much more obvious. Zeus has found the Phoenician princess Europa to be beautiful, and is again tempted to take her for himself. Unlike his previous recklessness, Zeus plans to sneak into Europa's dreams first, disguising himself as a bull to make Europa drop his guard. Every night, Europa always dreamed of a strange white bull, intimate and gentle beside her, an event that was always on Europa's mind. A few days later, when Europa and her companions were playing in the meadow, Zeus aimed at the right moment to change into a bull again, approaching Europa and bowing down to her respectfully. This time, Europa finally saw the bull that she had seen so often in her dreams, and the real one in front of her looked even more handsome and healthy, white and flawless. With curiosity and the encouragement of his female companions, Europa stepped on the bull. At first, the bull strolled slowly across the lawn, then faster and faster, leaving Europa's companions far behind. When he was about to walk to the sea, the bull made a dash for the sea, and by the time the female companions realized that Europa had been taken away by the bull, Zeus had already sped across the sea with Europa in tow.

Zeus repeated the trick and left Europa on an uninhabited island in the care of a giant. Later, the island was also named after Europa, which is how Europe came to be as it is now.

2 euro coin design: Europa and the bull

Keywords: maiden carried away by white bull, speeding over the sea (Europa)

Zeus pretending to be a swan:

Leda and the Swan,Rubens

In this painting by Rubens, the swan's wings break the maiden's legs, and its neck The swan's wings are spread across the maiden's legs, and her neck is pressed against her chest in an attempt to kiss her, while the maiden's posture is clearly grotesque and confused, and she is at a loss as to what to do, with a sense of eroticism and the maiden's inner turmoil coming through the image.

Lida was originally a sea nymph, married to the Spartan king Tyndareus, Tyndareus all day to indulge in and Lida's beauty, so much so that he forgot to worship the goddess of beauty, Venus. It so happened that Zeus coveted Leda's beauty, so he and Venus to discuss, he himself into a beautiful white swan, so that Venus transformed into a fierce eagle chasing swan, in order to achieve the purpose of approaching Leda. Leda was confined to a lonely island by Tyndareus, and saw from afar a poor white swan being chased by an eagle. Seeing Leda, the swan rushed to her arms, seeking protection in a pitiful manner. Leda was touched by the swan, and as she stroked it heartily, Zeus took the opportunity to make love to Leda and help Venus out.

Shortly afterward, Leda gave birth to two swan eggs, two boys and two girls. One egg hatched Castor and Clytemnestra, who were put in the sky by Zeus and became Gemini. The other egg gave birth to Pollux and Helen, the beautiful woman who later triggered the Trojan War. Egg, in classical painting, originally meant "beginning", and we can see the element of the egg in paintings of the birth of Jesus, or of other babies. This is not only the continuation of a new life, but also the beginning of another long war story. And the generals of the Greek coalition were so blown away by Helen's beauty that they thought that even though they had fought a ten-year war and died countless deaths, it was all worth it for Helen.

Leda and the swan, Cezanne

Compared with bulls and eagles, the white swan and the beautiful girl are more likely to make the picture full of beauty, and make people think of it. Therefore, the works of Leda and the swan are endless, and are still quoted by painters until today, and the metaphor of eroticism is very revealing, so you can search for yourself if you are interested in it.

Keywords: naked woman and swan (Leda) egg (beginning)

Zeus pretending to be a golden rain:

Prophecy legend has it that Dana? (Dana?), the daughter of King Acrisios of Argos, gave birth to a son who would be unfavorable to him, so the king, alarmed, locked his daughter in the attic with her nanny and prevented her from having contact with outsiders. Even so, the beautiful Dana? could not escape the eyes of Zeus, and since he could not get into the attic by turning into an animal, Zeus simply used his celestial powers to turn himself into a golden rain that floated into the attic and descended from the heavens, burrowing into Dana?'s body.

Danaeus gave birth to none other than the famous hero Perseus, and it was he who took Medusa's head. So how did King Acrisius of Argos die? Not as bloody and stormy as other revenge stories, except that Perseus happened to hit an old man in the head while competing in a discus-throwing contest in a country that happened to be his poor grandfather.

In Titian's three paintings of Zeus about Dana?'s encounter with the golden rain, we can see that in the original version Dana?'s bedside was painted with Cupid, adding an element of love to the storyline. In the two versions from around 1560, the cloth on Danae's thighs is removed, and she lies completely naked on the bed, with Cupid on the right replaced by Danae's nanny, and the rain of gold, which started out as a thin golden shower, is depicted as actual gold coins, which the nanny rushes off to pick up with rags or pots, with no regard for Danae's virginity. Here Dana? is more like a whore lying naked in a secret boudoir, and the latter two paintings hint at the scandal of unseemly wealth, raising the traditional mythic tale to the realm of the moral antithesis.

Danaeus in Klimt's painting appears more shy, the blush on the young girl's face is reminiscent of an innocent girl who has not yet been in the world, and the symbolic round golden rain passes between her legs, while a black square is a representation of the male reproductive significance that is customary in Klimt's works, and in this way expresses the origins of the new life that has come to be between the young girl's legs.

Keywords: golden rain descending (Danae)

Zeus disguised as mist:

Jupiter and Io, Antonio Allegri da Correggio

Io was a priestess in the temple of Hera, and Zeus, who was eyeing her beauty but was afraid of being found out by Hera, transformed into a Io is a priestess in Hera's temple, and Zeus is eyeing her beauty, but is afraid of being discovered by Hera, so he turns into a mist around Io, gently caressing her body and kissing her.

But the shrewd Hera still found anomalies, obviously cloudless weather how can just their own temple on the edge of the fog? She ran to find out, and Zeus panicked and turned Io into a cow. Hera saw Zeus in their own temple with a heifer, they guessed something, immediately asked Zeus to give her cow, Zeus had no choice but to turn into a cow I Russia gave her.

So Hera immediately improved the Io to the bull ring to shut her up, and ordered the hundred-eyed giant Argus (Argus) to guard her, do not let Zeus to save her. Argus has a hundred eyes, he is tired when 50 eyes will be closed to rest, while the other 50 eyes continue to open surveillance, in turn, the cycle is difficult to break through. So Zeus asked Mercury, the god of animal husbandry, to play his flute, which not only drove away the other bulls in the bullring that were bothering Io from time to time, but also hypnotized the giant Argus. Taking advantage of this, Mercury beheaded Argus before rescuing Io.

Keywords: fog, cow (Io)

Hera, after running to the bull ring and seeing the miserable state of the poor 100-eyed giant Argus, picked up his eyes and pressed them into her beast, making him part of the peacock, the divine beast that followed her, so that the peacock opened its screen to reveal the eyes of Argus.

Juno and Argus, Rubens, 1610

Thus, just as Zeus was always followed by an eagle as it were, so Hera, as the Queen of Heaven, always had a peacock with her.

Since Zeus is a god of the sky, why is he afraid of being found out by Hera every time he is out having fun? The reason is that in every Zeus outside and other people have children under the story, there is a Hera because of jealousy but lead to natural disasters, or make Zeus lover suffered a hundred tortures of the end of the ......

Either this lover stayed in this island under a plague, so that all the human beings on the island extinction, or The lovers were tortured by spells, such as the heifer Io, who was rescued by Mercury, and Hera then created thousands of gadflies to bite Io, so that Io had to run as hard as she could all the time to get away from them, so that Zeus couldn't find her at all.

Zeus's worst lover, Semele, asked Zeus to show his original form after listening to Hera's slanderous words, and as a result, because the mortals could not withstand the image of Zeus as a glorious god and his searing lightning bolt, they were immediately turned into ashes.

So, if you want to talk about fighting the little one, Hera is a deserved origin. The scandalous and heroic behavior of the gods, make people laugh also can not help but make people think y. Also thanks to the rich imagination of the ancient Greeks, for our chaotic world, the distribution and naming of the European continent gave a reasonable explanation full of mythological color, and became the enduring and wonderful theme of poetry and painting.