Orpheus’ attempt to take his bride Eurydice back to life from the underworld fails when he looks back at her. He is later torn limb from limb by Bacchantes, and rejoins her.
Waterhouse
Examples from Velázquez, Waterhouse, Bosch, Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Frith, and Ford Madox Brown of some of the most spectacular narrative paintings.
Odysseus is warned about the Sirens, who lure ships’ crews to their deaths. After negotiating their threat, they sail past Scylla and Charybdis, but all his crew are lost in shipwreck, and he ends up with Calypso for 7 years.
Some of the strange things seen on the beach, from racing sandyachts in 1608, to mermaids and mermen three centuries later.
After escaping from Polyphemus, Odysseus’ crew release a bag of winds, resulting in all except for his ship being eaten by cannibals. They then reach Circe’s island, where she wants to turn them all into pigs.
Brought up by the centaur Chiron, he challenged Pelias for his throne, so was sent to get the Golden Fleece with his Argonauts. He married Hypsipyle and they had twins before he abandoned her and promised to marry Medea in return for her help.
To enable Theseus to retrace his steps out of the Labyrinth, Ariadne gives him a ball of thread, in return for which he promises to marry her. Once the couple escape to the island of Naxos, Theseus abandons her and sails back to Athens.
Little used for 400 years, in the 19th century painters extended their scenes by including reflections seen in a mirror. Here are some significant examples.
When you see the same face in a mirror that you presume that figure can also see, despite that being optically impossible. An exploration.
Suddenly popular in paintings from around 1880, the story of Pandora and her box brought many interpretations, and remains a story of our time.
