Tyler Schmidt
May 1st, 2014
Western Humanities
Artist and Title : Louis Silvestre Perseus Rescuing Andromeda from the Sea Monster
Location : Museum of Fine Arts
See the Work Here : http://fine-arts.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Silvestre-Perseus-Rescueing-Andromeda-1719-793x1024.jpg
Text:
For my second writing assignment, I went to the Museum of Fine Arts to see Perseus Rescuing Andromeda from the Sea Monster, by Louis Silvestre. Louis Silvestre created this painting using oil paint on canvas. The painting itself is framed in a thick golden frame with what seem to be flowers around the edges. The frame seems to separate the painting from the rest of the room and helps it stand out. It almost seems as if the outer edge of the painting is also used as a frame to make the center of the painting very vibrant and important. The setting of the scene looks to be calming and relieving to the subjects. Perseus has killed the sea monster, shown at the bottom right of the painting with blood coming from his mouth. Perseus is unlocking the chains holding Andromeda to the cliff wall. Two cherubs are next to Perseus and Andromeda, one holding a scepter. The sword and shield Perseus used are laying on the ground, blood dripping from the blade. Most of Andromeda’s clothes are torn off, with only her right sleeve hanging on her arm, showing the terror she endured after being captured by the sea monster. The citizens of the city are seen close in the background looking very thankful that the sea monster has been defeated and Andromeda is no longer in danger. The seaside city can be seen in the background. The sky is cloudy, but seems as if it is changing from a dark day, to a clear sky with the rescue of Andromeda. Perseus is depicted with h...
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... further implies the strength Perseus has received from his parents Zeus and Danae. The scene is very intense, showing the aftermath of a battle easily won by the heroic Perseus.
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Perseus was born to Danae and the Greek god Zeus. Acrisius, the father of Danae, was told by the oracle of Apollo that Danae’s son would kill him. After finding out that Danae had her son, Perseus, Acrisius shut Perseus and Dane up in a large chest cast the chest out to sea. After a while out in the sea, they landed on the island of Seriphos, where they were saved by the king Polydectes’s brother, Dictys. Polydectes, after hearing about Danae, wanted her to marry him. In order to get rid of Perseus, so that no one would be able to stop him from marrying Danae, Polydectes came up with a plan. He pretended to be marrying the daughter of one of his friends and required everyone to bring him a wedding gift. Polydectes knew that Perseus, being very poor, would arrive empty-handed. Perseus vowed that he could bring Polydectes anything that he wanted and so Polydectes demanded Perseus to bring him the head of the gorgon Medusa, hoping that he would be killed. Perseus set off on his adventure to kill Medusa and while stopping to rest one night in an unknown land, Perseus realized how hopeless the adventure seemed to be. “Gorgons were horrible, instead of hair they had black serpents that writhed on their head, they had brazen hands that could...
The period 1550 to 1660 was a period of extreme dislocation and major change, within which saw periods boom and bust in various regions across Europe. This was followed by a much quieter period in the later 17th century that most economic historians would call recessionary. Along with the religious consequences of the Reformation and Counter Reformation came deep and lasting political changes. Northern Europe’s new religious and political freedoms came at a great cost, with decades of rebellions, wars and bloody
Unlike previous centuries, the eighteenth century was the dawn of a new age in Western Europe where intellectuals thrived, science was honored, and curiosity was encouraged; and the framework of how civil society was changed as a whole. From the dawn of the Enlightenment Western European culture was changing due to the revolutionary new ideas that were changing. With the social change going on, political change was as ever evident as time went on. With these changes rooted in social change went out, the effects of the Enlightenment can be seen over 18th century Western Europe and beyond.
First, the size of the painting drew me in before all. It measures at 339.1 by 199.5 cm, surrounded by a large golden frame. The size alone is enough to bring in any person passing by. Once getting close, the really wonder happened. The story told by the painting
In the 17th and 18th centuries, with the development of capitalism, the power of the
What do we learn about life in the 18th century and how successfully does the writer convey this information whilst telling us a good story?
The story of Medusa and Perseus is known as one of the top thriller tales in Greek Mythology. To begin, Medusa is one of three sisters, Sthenno and Euryale. However, she is the only mortal one. Originally, Medusa had golden, long, beautiful hair. She was Athena’s Priestess and swore to a celibate life. Later on, Medusa met Poseidon, fell in love with him and completely forgot about her vows to Athena. The Goddess Athena was so infuriated that she turned Medusa into a hideous looking monster. Her golden locks became venomous snakes and her face became so grotesque that any God or immortal to look into her eyes would become a statue of stone. Athena did this so Medusa would not attract any man. The same came for her sisters because Poseidon
The later 18th century was a time of crisis for the old regimes of Europe and their economic systems and political agitation sometimes breaking out into revolts. English Industrial Revolution vaulted Britain to the fore. France was the most powerful and the most typical of the old aristocratic absolute monarchies of Europe. (lower taxes off backs of lower classes).
The settings are the Grey Sisters Place, some place with Athena, island of the Gorgons, Into the air, and Atlas’s island. The settings are different because it has more than Perseus. The events are that Perseus was sent off the quest, He then gets a lot of gifts after that he goes to see the Grey sisters and steals their eye then goes to see Atlas she gives him the hat of darkness. After that goes to Medusa’s cave and he cuts off Medusa’s head, he escapes Medusa's sisters. The event is different because he has a lot of things to do before going and killing medusa and in the poem Perseus he just got a shield and cut her head.
A. "The Ottomans: The 17th and 18th Centuries." Washington State University - Pullman, Washington, D.C. 1996. The 'Standard' of the 'Standard'. Web. The Web.
A ritual is usually a ceremony that includes a series of actions that are performed according to a certain order. Most of the time rituals originate from myths. In Athens, several people participated in a group of events known as The Eleusinian Mysteries, hoping for a fulfilling and great afterlife. The Eleusinian Mysteries, a cult centered on a myth of Persephone's journey to and from the underworld, were celebrated from the eighth century B.C to the Hellenistic period. To the ancient Greeks, myths had a purpose and that was to basically explain the world around them. The myth and the mysteries itself were a symbol of life, death, and rebirth. The mysteries were created from the story and it was their way of demonstrating their honor and belief of the two goddesses. Events that occurred during the Eleusinian Mysteries symbolized a part of the myth of Demeter and Persephone, which is proof that the rituals practiced are associated with the myth.
The subject of this artwork is a shipwreck. I see it looks like a storm in the ocean and there’s a ship but the ships mass and sails appear to be damaged. The crew is lowering lifeboats, suggesting that they have to abandon ship. A rescue boat is coming in on the right side of the painting and another boat and ship are coming in on the left side of the painting to help the crew from the distressed ship. There also appears to be a lighthouse at a distance. The action being conveyed is the waves crashing into the ship. The darkness in the waves and the colors he used made them seem like there real ocean waves. The art piece does seem to be telling ...
Stott, Anne. "Europe 1700-1914: A Continent Transformed." europetransformed.blogspot.com. University of London, 7 March 2011. Web. 30 November 2013.
In the movie, Perseus, the mortal son of Zeus, fights the monsters of the underworld to stop them from taking over the heavens and earth. The story according to the Greeks, Perseus, the mortal son of Zeus, goes on an adventure to recieve the head of Medusa to save his mom from marrying King Polydectes and along the way falls in love Princess Andromeda. Between the two stories there are similarities and differences in each version.