The Role of Myths in the Art Essay Example

Myths present themselves to us in many different forms: oral stories, visual art, written works, etc. Viewing myths in artwork can help one to visualize the story being told and give them a better understanding of the myth and the characters involved. Artists can use things such as color, or facial expressions to create interpretations of stories and characters.  

First work: Apollo and Daphne 

This wooden sculpture was made in the 17th century by an unknown artist and is a smaller-scale copy of the statue by Gian Lorenzo Bernini. The story this work depicts comes from Ovid’s Metamorphoses, where Apollo had fallen madly in love with the nymph Daphne and continued to pursue her despite her rejection of him. She runs from him until she realizes she cannot outrun him. At this point, she cries out to her father, who turns her into a laurel tree so that she can escape him.  

In this work, Daphne runs from Apollo and is in the middle of her transformation into a laurel tree; a trunk surrounds her legs, her arms are turning into branches, and her hair is turning into leaves. Apollo is not far behind her, with a horrified look on his face as Daphne turns into a tree.  

This statue presents itself as an accurate rendering of the myth and elegantly captures the emotions of the characters; Apollo appears shocked and horrified at the sight of seeing Daphne, his love and prey turn into a laurel tree and Daphne’s face is frozen in fear and surprise as she transforms.  

Second work: Mercury, Argus, and Io 

This painting by Salvator Rosa dates from 1653 to 1654 and comes from Ovid’s Metamorphoses where Io was turned into a cow by Zeus, her lover, to hide her from Hera. Hera, suspicious of her husband's infidelity, asks for Io as a gift, which Zeus gives to her. Argus was tasked with guarding Io. Io was distraught by her transformation and Zeus, upset by Io’s misery, sends Hermes to retrieve her and kill Argus. Hermes then uses his skill as a musician and storyteller to lull all of Argus’s eyes to sleep and proceeds to kill him.  

This scene shows the moment before Argus’s death. The ominous tone of the scene is set by dark colors, jagged cliffs, and gnarly-looking trees. In this painting, we see a body of water surrounded by trees and cliffs, with Io, depicted as a white heifer, standing by the water’s edge. We also see Hermes (Mercury) sitting on a rock, playing a pipe, with Argus sitting on the ground next to him. While Argus is described in most sources as a “many-eyed giant,” he appears as a seemingly-human being with only two eyes. Hermes is identified by his winged cap; conversely, in the source used, Hermes was wearing winged sandals and a cap which he took off to disguise himself as a shepherd, keeping only his wand. Argus’s hand is resting on what is assumed to be Hermes’s wand. Playing the pipe is Hermes, attempting to lull Argus to sleep. Though Argus looks interested in Hermes’ playing of the pipe, he does not appear to be fighting his urge to sleep; the source used expresses that Argus was fighting his urge to sleep when Hermes played the pipe and only fell asleep when Hermes told Argus a story.  

The differences between the source and the painting may be used to help the viewer identify what story is being told. For example, a man sitting on a rock playing a pipe may not be enough for the reader to know that the man is Hermes, but the winged cap provides extra detail to help the viewer identify. Hermes.  

Third work: Black-Figure Olpe 

This terracotta Olpe, made by the Gorgon painter, dates from 590 to 580 BCE and depicts a siren. Sirens appear in a few myths, the most notable being Homer's Odyssey. They’re described as birds with the head of a woman and were known for luring sailors to their deaths by singing, and the only way to survive an encounter with them is to not hear their singing.  

Pictured on the Olpe is a creature with the body of a bird, given away by the tail and feathers, and the head of a woman. Because this creature is so unique, it is easy to identify that the creature is a siren. Though some sources describe sirens as bearded, this depiction is still accurate to the myth of the siren and gives viewers an idea of what this mythical creature would look like.  

Fourth Work: Atalanta and Meleager 

This statue by Francesco Mosca dates from 1564 to 1565 and depicts Atalanta and Meleager, and their involvement in the Calydonian boar hunt from Ovid's Metamorphoses. The earliest version of this story is from Homer’s Iliad; however, this version does not mention Atalanta. In Ovid’s version, Oeneus, the king of Calydon, omitted his sacrifice to Artemis during a festival. Artemis took offense to this and consequently releases a boar to lay waste to the land. Meleager, son of Oeneus, organized a hunt of the boar, accompanied by a group of heroes; Atalanta among them. Atalanta drew first blood and Meleager was credited with the kill shot. Having fallen in love with Atalanta, Meleager gave her the hide of the boar as a gift.  

This statue depicts Meleager and Atalanta in each other's arms after the kill, with the head of the boar between their feet. The love and lust expressed through the pose and facial expressions of the characters suggests that their teamwork in killing the boar brought them closer together and strengthened their bond.  

As for accuracy, there is no specific mention of an embrace between the two, though the quote, “She delighted in the giver no less than the gift” (A.S. Kline 2014, 425-450), suggests that there could have been some sort of physical interaction between the two. Another difference to note is that, per the source, Meleager gave Atalanta the hide of the boar, rather than its head. Despite these differences, Mosca made great use of body language and facial expression in a way that gives the viewer a feeling of sensuality when admiring it.  

Fifth Work: Europa and the Bull 

This painting by Bernardo Cavallino was made around 1645 and depicts the story of Europa’s kidnapping by Zeus from Ovid’s Metamorphoses. As the story goes, Zeus fell in love with Europa and turned himself into a bull. He gained the trust of Europa and convinced her to sit on his back. When she does, Zeus kidnaps her and they swim to the island of Crete.  

This painting depicts Zeus as a white bull, lying on the ground with Europa sitting on his back, and what looks to be Europa’s attendants in the background. Europa is placing a necklace of flowers around Zeus’ neck. In the background is the sea and what we can assume is the island of Crete. The contrasting lighting gives the painting an ominous tone, conversely, the lighter colors of the flowers and clothing give off a calming effect. The relaxed facial expressions of Europa and her attendants suggest that they are oblivious and unaware of Europa’s impending kidnapping.  

There is only one difference to note between the painting and the source; the source does not mention that anyone else is present during Europa and Zeus’ encounter. Nevertheless, the painting is accurate to the original story from Metamorphoses and makes great use of color and facial expressions to tell the story.