Mythology in Art Selections made from the Prado Museum in Madrid, Spain

By Lauren Priebe

VENUS

Artist: Bartolomeo Ammannati Medium: Bronze Cast Dimensions: 179 cm x 58 cm x 52 cm - 212,6 kg

VENUS

•  In this sculpture piece titled Venus, the artist uses bronze to create a representation of the Roman goddess who signifies love and sexuality. This particular piece is a variation of the Chaste Venus, where the goddess has one hand over her breasts and the other over her pubis, a popular stance the goddess Venus is seen in. The artist creates this particular shape for Venus as an icon. By placing her hands in these two positions, it is easily recognized as the goddess Venus and creates a powerful image of her. The artist uses lines in this piece to give a shape to the female body. The lines are delicate and outline the female figure. This sculpture has actual mass because it occupies three-dimensional space. It has actual balance. Venus has a biomorphic space because it looks like a female body. The artist shapes this sculpture to have the curves of a woman.

THE THREE GRACES

Artist: Peter Paul Rubens Medium: Oil, Wood Panel Painting Dimensions:220,5 cm x 182 cm

THE THREE GRACES

•  In this oil painting, Three Graces, the painting depicts three different women in mythology: Aglaia who symbolizes radiance, Euphrosine who symbolizes joy and Thalia who symbolizes flowering. The artist of this painting uses delicate, slightly darker lines to form and outline the bodies of the three women. The women in this picture are much lighter and brighter than the rest of the photo signifying they are the central focus of this painting, the positive shapes. Their bodies are meant to look like they are made out of marble, the artist uses visual texture to create this look in the women. By keeping all of the women’s bodies similar in shape and color, the artist creates unity in the picture. These central shapes are biomorphic shapes because they look like real female bodies. The artist creates circular rhythm throughout this piece. The women in this picture are all joined together and intertwined to look like they are dancing and moving around.

THE CONTEST OF DIANA’S NYMPHS

•  Artist: Royal Porcelain Factory of El Buen Retiro

•  Medium: Ceramics •  Dimensions:16 cm x 31 cm

THE CONTEST OF DIANA’S

NYMPHS

•  In this piece, The Contest of Diana’s Nymphs, the ceramic art piece is telling a story about a group of Nymphs who are hunting along with the goddess Diana who has the half moon over her head. In mythology, Diana is the goddess of hunt. In this ceramic piece, it has actual mass. It takes up space and is three-dimensional. It has an actual balance. The piece has biomorphic spaces in it, the people depicted in the piece are very life like and there body shapes are true to the form of a human being. The piece has unity because of the color of the ceramic. The piece is all one color and medium. In this particular piece the artist uses the shape of the moon above Diana’s head as an icon. He uses the moon shape to represent her as a goddess. This piece also has motion to it. When you look at this piece you can see that the people in it are supposed to be moving and hunting; the artist uses stopped time to imply motion. The artist has overlapping in this picture with the animals and humans. The way the humans and animals overlap and intertwine each other creates this three-dimensional element to this ceramic. The artist creates conceptual unity throughout this piece by using elements of hunting throughout the piece. You can see many people with bows and arrows trying to hunt the bird.

CROSSING THE RIVER STYX

•  Artist: Joachim Patinir •  Medium: Oil, Panel Painting •  Dimensions: 64 cm x 103 cm

CROSSING THE RIVER STYX

•  In the oil painting, Crossing the River Styx the paints the story of the river Styx in Greek mythology that connects the Earth with the Underworld. The artist of this painting uses lines elegant lines to give outline to the landscape. The lines in this photo show where the land ends and the sky begins. The artist cool colors the most in this painting. He uses shades of blue to show the water and shades of green to show the landscape and trees. The artist uses a color technique called chiaroscuro when painting the river. The river starts off in a darker blue and the farther the river goes and closer it gets to the clouds it becomes lighter. The artist also creates a lot of visual textures throughout the painting. He creates the texture of waves in the river to signify moving water. He also creates texture in the trees and rocks. This painting has an asymmetrical balance to it, on one side of the river is another beautiful river flowing to mountains. The other side has buildings and trees up in flames, burning away. I think this artist uses asymmetrical balance to show good versus evil in this painting. The artist creates a focal point in this painting by isolating the man in the boat on the river. I think the artist does this because this man is carrying people to either heaven or hell and he is stuck in the middle. He is in the middle of good and evil.

SARCOPHAGUS WITH THE STORY OF ACHILLES AND POLYXENA

•  Artist: Attic Workshop •  Medium: Carved Marble •  Dimensions: 83 cm x 133 cm x

8 cm

SARCOPHAGUS WITH THE STORY

OF ACHILLES AND POLYXENA

•  In this sculpture, The Sarcophagus with the Story of Achilles and Polyxena, it is a piece meant to represent a combat between the Aqueans and the Trojans in mythology. This sculpture piece made of marble is meant to tell different scenes from the story and marriage of Achilles and Polyxena, a Trojan princess. The artist uses lines in this sculpture at the top and bottom of the piece to form an outline around the characters. The line to me is assertive and straight, guiding the audience to look at all the characters in the piece as sort of a timeline. The sculpture has a repetitive rhythm to it. When you first look at the piece you see this repetition of humans that all look the same. It’s not until you look closer that you can see the differences in these people. This piece has unity and continuity to it. All the humans are facing the same way and are all the same size. The use of marble throughout the entire piece also creates unity because the whole piece is one color. This sculpture has actual mass because it has measurable weight and volume to it. It has actual balance. In this sculpture the shapes are biomorphic. The men in this picture have specific details to them that make them life-like. You can see different facial features and muscles in their bodies.

Why I Selected These Pieces

•  The reason I chose these art pieces to be displayed in my exhibit because of the theme I decided to go with: mythology. When I was looking at different pieces in the Prado Museum the first theme that struck me was a religious theme. But once I started looking at the different mediums I noticed that there was a theme in mythology. I decided to go with that them because I could have more variety in my pieces and I love mythology. I love the stories that mythology creates and I thought all the pieces I chose had a story and meaning behind them. With mythology, there are many different stories and figures and I was interested to see how different artists took these stories and create their own pieces of art from them.

Gallery Layout

•  If I were going to put these five artworks on display in an exhibit I would place the sculpture of Venus in the middle of the room. I think sculptures are unique because they can be analyzed at many different angles because of it is three-dimensional. I think it is important that it is placed where all sides can be seen. On the left wall I would place the ceramic piece, The Contest of Diana’s Nymphs. On the right wall I would place the carved marble piece, Sarcophagus with the Story of Achilles and Polyxena. I think these three pieces should be in one line. On the back wall I would place both of the oil paintings, Crossing the River Styx and The Three Graces. I think these pieces have great coloring to them and would compliment and balance each other nicely on the back wall.