Chelsea Dawson
Jennifer A. Fraley
HUM 120-64H1
6 March 2017
Perseus Confronting Phineus with the Head of Medusa Sebastiano Ricci’s artwork titled Perseus Confronting Phineus with the Head of Medusa is an oil on canvas painted around the year of 1705. Ricci depicted the iconic scene where Perseus killed Medusa, a Gordon with snake hair. Her atrocious appearance is known to turn men to stone. This particular painting shows the scene at Perseus’s wedding. The wedding was stopped by a group led by Phineus. After a battle, Perseus won by capturing the head of Medusa. He then warned his allies to turn away, not looking the head of Medusa in the eyes, turning the opposing side into stone (Sebastiano). To truly depict the energy and drama of the piece,
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Giordano’s work, Perseus turning Phineas and his Followers to Stone, is an oil on canvas created in the early 1680’s. Some of the upfront adaptations include: the background, key colors, and direction. First of all, the background of Ricci’s painting shows a room with statues of what looks like women. Whereas, in Giordano’s, the background appears to be in an outside setting. Secondly, the key colors in Ricci’s painting are dark, warm “redish-orange” colors. Whereas, the key colors the eye directs to are darker blues and yellows. Lastly, the direction of the painting is different in both. In Ricci’s, the head of Medusa is directed towards the right. In Giordano’s, the direction of Medusa’s head is pointing towards the left. When looking into the background information of the original painting, the main adaption is the mention of the love triangle in Giordano’s piece. Giordano talks about how the lady, Andromeda, was originally engaged to Phineus, but was stolen by Perseus because he saved her from a sea monster (Giordano, 1680s). Therefore, Phineus showed up to the wedding with an “army” to attack Perseus. The painting by Ricci mentions the wedding scene, but not the events leading up to …show more content…
The photo also looked one sided before, as if Phineus was the bad guy. Though, in reality, Perseus is the bad guy because he was the one that stole Andromeda in the first place. In conclusion, mythology has played such an influential role in art because the epic tales over hundreds of years, still to this day, give us many life lessons. Not only are these tales still relevant today, but they will continue to be important in the years to come. Myths help people learn from past mistakes, just like history. Mythology offers many morals and themes that can apply to anyone no matter the current life situation. Myths also show heroes, underdogs, and villains realistically even if the people aren’t particularly
The depiction of the Greek and roman myths are given unique insights from different authors. The Hymn to Demeter and Ovid's Metamorphosis provide and insight to Demeter's love for her daughter, Persephone, and explores its affect on the surrounding environments. The theme of separation and isolation is present in both of these myths, however, in Ovid's Metamorphosis, he symbolizes the environment in important events, has characters playing different roles, and empowers female deities.
Within the body of ancient stories and teachings that we call myths lies an array of gods, goddesses, and mystical creatures. These gods and goddesses were mainly concerned with the nature of the world, and had virtue within their own ritualistic practices. The myths that were oriented around such almighty figures became a center of religion in ancient Greece. This became Greek mythology, and further became a considerable influence on culture, arts, and literature throughout time. Since then, artists and poets have derived ideas from Greek mythology, and have discovered current influence and pertinence in its subjects.
I couldn’t think of a better way to examine myth in modern culture than by taking something from the present day and seeing how it was influenced by one of the oldest stories ever told. The Odyssey by Homer is said to have originated in oral tradition and only many years later been written down. The Odyssey dates back to 675-725 BCE as written by Homer. The Odyssey is one of the first great works of literature and is still studied and appreciated some 2700 years later. The Odyssey is still loved to this day for its adventurous story and timeless themes.
In ancient times, mythology was used as a way of explanation. It may have explained a natural phenomenon, religious truth, it could have been told for entertainment, or for structuralism in a society. Although we are unable to prove the truth behind the stories, they surely have been entertaining people for many years. As the stories may have been told in ritual at bedtime for children, or around a campfire for the town, they surely were memorable. In modern times we even see similarities in some modern western movies. Although some movies such as Hercules and Percy Jackson blatantly use the stories as their plot line, some authors and directors discretely put stories similar to mythology into their works. An example of this would be the similarities in The Myth of Osiris and Isis compared to The Lion King.
One need only stroll through any major art museum to come to the conclusion that many great artists are inspired by mythology. At first blush, the fascination with mythology might seem as if the artists are hiding from reality and retreating into fantasy. However, one who believes that has only a limited understanding of the role of mythology in culture, because myths “are not childish stories or mere pre-scientific explanations of the world, but serious insights into reality.” This is because mythical themes help explain cultural norms, and how various cultural groups approach major issues like sex, death, marriage, childbirth, and war.
Perseus is later found by soldiers who take him to the city of Argos, where he is brought before King Cepheus and Queen Cassiopeia during their celebration of the war against the gods. King Cepheus makes arrogant statements towards the gods, and the Queen Cassiopeia compares their daughter Andromeda to Aphrodite. When Zeus finds out about the destruction of a statue of him and the celebration of war by Cepheus and Cassiopeia, he becomes furious. Hades then appears before his Zeus on Mount Olympus and argues that the gods must retaliate against the revolt, and convinces Zeus that he be allowed to destroy Argos. Hades appears in a courtroom in Argos, kills the so...
Myths have been around for centuries. They help humans cope with the unimaginable things that happen in their lives. They help fill in the blanks to history that other sources or people cannot. A Short History of Myth by Karen Armstrong provides us with a brief overview of how mythology grew and changed over time. As the human race grew as a society and as a people, the ideas and concepts of myth grew and changed as well. Mythology evolved as we did, adapting to fit our needs and to the ever changing technological advances in modern society.
1. Where does the hero originate? What of his ancestry is significant? Consider in what way it is significant.
The story of Perseus and Medusa begins when King Acrisius of Argos realizes that his daughter Danae is ripe for marriage. He dislikes this because he despises the idea of having a son-in-law. He decides to send a messenger to consult the oracle at Delphi, and the messenger returned with the prophecy that one day his grandson will kill him. Angry and fearful of this prophecy, he placed Danae in an impenetrable brass tower with a small slit serving as a window. Through this window, Zeus entered the tower as a blade of light and gave Danae a son, Perseus (Evslin and Hoffman 114). In another version, Acrisius locked up Danae in an underground prison made of bronze where Zeus entered as a shower of golden rain (Ancient History Encyclopedia). Still fearing the prophecy, Acrisius sent Danae and Perseus adrift at sea in a chest with the hope that they would meet misfortune. With the protection of the gods, Danae and Perseus drifted on to the shores of the island Seriphos, where a fisherman named Dictys found them and brought them to the King Polydectes. Polydectes immediately fell in love with Danae because of her beauty, and took her and her son under his care. Perseus grew into a strong and bold young man who was able to outdo every other man in their physical capabilities. Polydectes disapproved of this and viewed Perseus as an obstacle in his ultimate plan of marrying Danae against her will. Eager for any opportunity to remove Perseus, Polydectes sent Perseus on the impossible task of beheading the gorgon Medusa. He assumed
Mythology is defined as a collection of interrelated stories of a given culture. Myths are intended to explain and describe the mysteries of nature and give understanding about the world that surrounds us. Each culture has their own mythology that reflects their values and beliefs. Myths were also generated to tell the story of the first people to inhabit the earth. The Egyptian mythology elevated these people to the level of Gods and Goddesses by giving them supernatural and special powers. These myths of creation were passed from one generation to the next, either orally or by hieroglyphs painted in sacred temples, pyramids, and sanctuaries.
“Perseus” Mythology and You. Ed. Donna Rosenberg and Sorelle Baker. Columbus: Glencoe McGraw – Hill, 2006. 198 - 208. Print.
Mythology has existed since the stone age, and with it came classical archetypal characters and mythological elements which have influenced and continue to influence the work of modern writers. Classical archetypes and mythological elements allow readers and watchers to relate their own personal experiences to the story by connecting to their primal thoughts and feelings. Classical archetypes are used in all writings and especially can be seen in James Cameron's hit film Avatar.
...his adventures. Both of them give Perseus something to help him in his adventure; from Athena the shield and from Hermes, the sandals and sickle. The god Dionysus ends up being the one to kill Perseus.
The sculpture is a good example of the recurring trends and subjects that were prevalent in the art of the Hellenistic period. Darker subjects, such as death, pain and sorrow, were just as popular as the more optimistic themes of patriotism, courage, and heroism. Usually these themes were explored in relation to intense events such as wars. Interestingly, the sculpture of the dying Gaul touches on themes related to pain, suffering, valor, patriotism, and death at the same time. Even though the agony communicates visibly to the viewer by the crooked lines on the dying Gaul’s forehead, painful eyes, its genital...