Category: Mythology,
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Gabrielle Bakker, Leda 01 Contemporary Interpretations of Olympian deities, with footnotes #15
Leda, in Greek legend, usually believed to be the daughter of Thestius, king of Aetolia, and wife of Tyndareus, king of Lacedaemon. She was also believed to have been the mother (by Zeus, who had approached and seduced her in the form of a swan) of the other twin, Pollux, and of Helen, both of…
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Adolf Frey-Moock, MAIDEN WITH PAN 01 Painting, Olympian deities, with footnotes #38
In ancient Greek religion and mythology, Pan is the god of the wild, shepherds and flocks, nature of mountain wilds, rustic music and impromptus, and companion of the nymphs. He has the hindquarters, legs, and horns of a goat, in the same manner as a faun or satyr. With his homeland in rustic Arcadia, he is also…
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William-Adolphe Bouguereau, Nymphs and Satyr 01 Painting, Olympian deities, with footnotes #39
According to the Clark Institute, in the painting “a group of nymphs have been surprised, while bathing in a secluded pond, by a lascivious satyr. Some of the nymphs have retreated into the shadows on the right; others, braver than their friends, are trying to dampen the satyr’s ardor by pulling him into the cold…
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Narcisse Virgile Diaz de la Peña, Departure of Diana to the hunt 01 Painting, Olympian deities, by the Old Masters, with footnotes #39
In Roman mythology, Diana was the goddess of the hunt, the moon and nature being associated with wild animals and woodland, and having the power to talk to and control animals. She was eventually equated with the Greek goddess Artemis, though she had an independent origin in Italy. Diana was worshipped in ancient Roman religion and is…
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Josh Keyes; Siren 01 Contemporary Interpretations of Olympian deities, with footnotes #17
Portland-based artist Josh Keyes (previously) paints hyperrealistic depictions of what he perceives the world might look like after the fall of humans. Animals such as sharks, tigers, and bulls remain as the final witnesses to the aftermath of human destruction—observing blazing fires, investigating displaced commercial objects, and swimming amongst melted ice caps. More on this painting…
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Eric Geidl, Black Medusa 01 Work, Contemporary Interpretations of Olympian deities, with footnotes #20
In Greek mythology Medusa was a monster, a Gorgon, generally described as a winged human female with a hideous face and living venomous snakes in place of hair. Gazers on her face would turn to stone. She lived and died on an island named Sarpedon, somewhere near Cisthene. The 2nd-century BCE novelist Dionysios Skytobrachion puts her…
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Stéphanie Gevrey; ATHENA 01 Contemporary Interpretation, Olympian deities, with footnotes #14
Athena, often given the epithet Pallas, is the goddess of wisdom, craft, and war in ancient Greek religion and mythology. Athena is known for her calm temperament, as she moves slowly to anger. She is noted to have only fought for just reasons, and would not fight without a purpose. Athena is portrayed as an astute…
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Stéphanie Gevrey, Hera 01 Contemporary Interpretations of Olympian deities, with footnotes #13
Hera is the goddess of women, marriage, family, and childbirth in ancient Greek religion and myth, one of the Twelve Olympians and the sister-wife of Zeus. She is the daughter of the Titans Cronus and Rhea. Hera rules over Mount Olympus as queen of the gods. A matronly figure, Hera served as both the patroness and…
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Studio of Peter Paul Rubens, The Battle of the Amazons 01 Painting, Olympian deities, by the Old Masters, with footnotes #41
In Greek mythology, the Amazons were a race of woman warriors. The legendary Amazons were thought to have lived in Pontus, which is part of modern-day Turkey near the southern shore of the Black Sea. There they formed an independent kingdom under the government of a queen named Hippolyta or Hippolyte. This area is known…
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Simeon Solomon, HABET! 01 Painting, Olympian deities, with footnotes #42
A striking scene in a Roman Amphitheater. The cry of Habet! (He is hit!) echoes around as the women make the decision whether to slay the vanquished gladiator or allow him to live. The women’s reactions vary from the anguish of the girl who has fainted in a pallid swoon, the horror of another who rushes forward with…
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Gabrielle Bakker Leda, 2011 01 Contemporary Interpretation of Olympian deities, with footnotes #19
Leda, in Greek legend, usually believed to be the daughter of Thestius, king of Aetolia, and wife of Tyndareus, king of Lacedaemon. She was also believed to have been the mother (by Zeus, who had approached and seduced her in the form of a swan) of the other twin, Pollux, and of Helen, both of…
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04 works, The Art Of The Nude, Lucien Clergue’s Mermaids, with footnotes # 22
Lucien Clergue (August 14, 1934 – November 15, 2014) was a French photographer. He was Chairman of the Academy of Fine Arts, Paris for 2013. Clergue was born in Arles, France. At the age of 7 he began learning to play the violin, and after several years of study his teacher admitted that he had nothing more to teach him.…
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Simone Pignoni, The Rape of Proserpine 01 Paintings, Olympian deities, by the Old Masters, with footnotes # 34
Proserpina, or Proserpine is an ancient Roman goddess whose cult, myths and mysteries were based on those of Greek Persephone and her mother Demeter, the Greek goddess of grain and agriculture. The Romans identified Proserpina with their native fertility goddess Libera, daughter of the grain and agriculture goddess Ceres and wife to Liber. Venus, in order…
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Zena Holloway, Rolling in the Deep 01 Photograph, Tales of Mermaids, with Footnotes, 9
“Far, far from land, where the waters are as blue as the petals of the cornflower and as clear as glass, there, where no anchor can reach the bottom, live the mer-people.” ~ The Little Mermaid, by Hans Christian Andersen Zena Holloway (born 1973 in Bahrain) is an underwater photographic artist living in London. Her work…
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EDWARD SHERIFF CURTIS, Aphrodite 01 Contemporary Interpretations of Olympian deities, with footnotes #18
Aphrodite is the Greek goddess of love, beauty, pleasure, and procreation. She is identified with the planet Venus; her Roman equivalent is the goddess Venus. Myrtle, roses, doves, sparrows and swans were sacred to her. Aphrodite was created from the sea foam produced by Uranus’s genitals, which had been severed by Cronus. In Homer’s Iliad, however,…
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Philippe Vignal, A SIRÈNE 01 Contemporary Interpretations of Olympian deities, with footnotes #18
According to Greek myths, sirens were powerful and erotic creatures, and many unsuspecting sailors would fall prey to their seductive beauty. The common belief was that they would devour sailors after their ships would crash into the rocks, as most men couldn’t resist the temptation of their sweet melodies and angelic faces. More on The Fisherman and…
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Hans Zatzka, Woodland nymphs 01 Paintings, Olympian deities, by the Old Masters, with footnotes #40
A nymph in Greek mythology and in Latin mythology is a minor female nature deity typically associated with a particular location or landform. Different from other goddesses, nymphs are generally regarded as divine spirits who animate nature, and are usually depicted as beautiful, young nubile maidens who love to dance and sing; their amorous freedom…
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01 Contemporary Interpretations of Olympian deities, with footnotes #15
Leda, in Greek legend, usually believed to be the daughter of Thestius, king of Aetolia, and wife of Tyndareus, king of Lacedaemon. She was also believed to have been the mother (by Zeus, who had approached and seduced her in the form of a swan) of the other twin, Pollux, and of Helen, both of…
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Peter Paul Rubens, Perseus and Andromeda 01 Painting, Olympian deities, by the Old Masters, with footnotes #36
In Greek mythology, Andromeda is the daughter of the Aethiopian king Cepheus and his wife Cassiopeia. When Cassiopeia’s hubris leads her to boast that Andromeda is more beautiful than the Nereids, Poseidon sends a sea monster, Cetus, to ravage Aethiopia as divine punishment. Andromeda is stripped and chained naked to a rock as a sacrifice…
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Circle of Anthonie Van Montfoort, The Death of Adoni 01 Paintings, Olympian deities, by the Old Masters, with footnotes #35
Adonis was the mortal lover of the goddess Aphrodite in Greek mythology. He was conceived after Aphrodite cursed his mother Myrrha to lust after her own father, King Cinyras of Cyprus. Myrrha had sex with her father in complete darkness for nine nights, but he discovered her identity and chased her with a sword. The gods…
Zaidan Gallery 