Satyrs and Nymphs in paintings

Satyrs and nymphs

Paintings

Satyrs and nymphs

In Greek mythology, satyrs are a troop of male companions of Pan and Dionysus that roamed the woods and mountains.

Satyrs are described as roguish but faint-hearted folk — subversive and dangerous, yet shy and cowardly. As Dionysiac creatures they are lovers of wine, women and boys, and are ready for

every physical pleasure.

They love to dance with the nymphs with whom they are obsessed and whom they often pursue.

CLAUDE LORRAINLandscape with Nymph and Satyr Dancing1641Oil on canvas, 133,0 x 99.7 cm The Toledo Museum of Art

CLAUDE LORRAINLandscape with Nymph and Satyr Dancing (detail)1641Oil on canvas, 133,0 x 99.7 cm The Toledo Museum of Art




RUBENS, Peter PaulNymphs and Satyrs1637-40Oil on canvas, 136 x 165 cmMuseo del Prado, Madrid

RUBENS, Peter PaulNymphs and Satyrs (detail)1637-40Oil on canvas, 136 x 165 cmMuseo del Prado, Madrid






RUBENS, Peter PaulDiana and her Nymphs Surprised by the Fauns1638-40Oil on canvas, 128 x 314 cmMuseo del Prado, Madrid

RUBENS, Peter PaulDiana and her Nymphs Surprised by the Fauns (detail)1638-40Oil on canvas, 128 x 314 cmMuseo del Prado, Madrid



BRONZINO, AgnoloVenus, Cupido and Satyr 1553-1555 Oil on wood, 135 × 231 cm Palazzo Colonna, Rome

BRONZINO, AgnoloVenus, Cupido and Satyr (detail)1553-1555 Oil on wood, 135 × 231 cm Palazzo Colonna, Rome



DYCK, Sir Anthony vanDiana and a Nymph Discovered by a Satyr1622 – 1627Oil on canvas, 144 x 163 cmMuseo del Prado, Madrid

DYCK, Sir Anthony vanDiana and a Nymph Discovered by a Satyr (detail)1622 – 1627Oil on canvas, 144 x 163 cmMuseo del Prado, Madrid




POUSSIN, NicolasA Bacchic Scene1626 - 1628 Oil on canvas, 74 x 60 cmMuseo del Prado, Madrid

POUSSIN, NicolasA Bacchic Scene (detail)1626 - 1628 Oil on canvas, 74 x 60 cmMuseo del Prado, Madrid




WATTEAU, Jean-AntoineNymph and Satyr, or Jupiter and Antiope 1715-16Oil on canvas, 73 x 107 cm (oval)Musée du Louvre, Paris

WATTEAU, Jean-AntoineNymph and Satyr, or Jupiter and Antiope (detail)1715-16Oil on canvas, 73 x 107 cm (oval)Musée du Louvre, Paris

WATTEAU, Jean-AntoineNymph and Satyr, or Jupiter and Antiope (detail)1715-16Oil on canvas, 73 x 107 cm (oval)Musée du Louvre, Paris

BOUGUEREAU, William-AdolpheNymphs and Satyr1873 Oil on canvas, 260.4 x 182.9 cm Sterling & Francine Clark Art Institute, Williamstown

BOUGUEREAU, William-AdolpheNymphs and Satyr (detail)1873 Oil on canvas, 260.4 x 182.9 cm Sterling & Francine Clark Art Institute, Williamstown




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BOUGUEREAU, William-AdolpheNymphs and Satyr

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 water- one of the satyr's hooves is already wet and he clearly wants to go no

further. Satyrs--half-man, half-goat--were reputedly unable to swim.

CLAUDE LORRAINLandscape with Nymph and Satyr Dancing

Near a majestic temple ruin, a flute-playing shepherd and his companion make music with some nature spirits. One nymph beats a tambourine while the other dances with a satyr—rather warily, in view of the latter's leer and lustful nature.

The light that streams through the columns, leaving most of the foreground in shadows, sets this enchanted glade apart from the sunlit country on the other side of the river. Beyond, where water, land, and sky melt into infinite distance, the light grows radiant. It is the clarity of this light and its unifying effect that ultimately accounts for the aesthetic beauty of Claude Lorrain's

work.

RUBENS, Peter PaulNymphs and Satyrs

Under some trees, a group of Nymphs and Satyrs enjoy Nature in harmony. The Nymphs personify the fecundity of the fields, while the Satyrs live in, and watch over, the woods. Together they harvest the fruits offered by Nature.

The water running out of a jug and the horn allude to abundance and prosperity. In the right foreground, a child satyr offers a cluster of grapes to a tiger. This is an allusion to Bacchus, a deity intimately related to the fertility of Nature.

This painting was made during the artist´s last productive years, when his works were animated by idyllic and sensual sentiments and were frequently set in lush landscapes. Some of the figures are based on classical sculptures, showing Rubens broad

knowledge of classical culture. This work belonged to the artist until he died in 1640, when it was acquired by Felipe IV and taken to Madrid´s Alcázar Palace.

RUBENS, Peter PaulDiana and her Nymphs Surprised by the Fauns

Diana the huntress is resting with her court of Nymphs in a clearing in the woods when she is attacked by a group of Satyrs.

Rubens turned this painting into a virtuoso exercise in composition. In the foreground, two volumes lead to the rest of the scene: on the left are the hunting trophies attained by the nymphs, and on the right, a reclining nymph with her back to the viewer, one of the most sensual nudes in the artist´s entire oeuvre. In the middle ground, like a running frieze, are two groups of figures: the Nymphs

who attempt to escape the attack of the Fauns.

This painting comes from Rubens´ most sensual and poetic period, coinciding with the last decade of his life. Its open and very dynamic composition shows his mastery of movement. He painted it with the help of other artists, including Frans Snyders, for the

animals, and Jan Wildens, for the landscape. This is part of a series of eighteen paintings intended for the vaults of Madrid´s Alc

BRONZINO, AgnoloVenus, Cupido and Satyr

Venus and Cupid and a Satyr was completed sometime around 1553-54 and is now on display in one of the galleries of the Palazzo Colonna in Rome. In this painting, the nude bodies of Venus and Cupid are again portrayed as potential sources of

pleasure for the viewer, but this time there are no allegorical elements included in the composition, so the erotic nature of the image is more evident.

Crucially, this version of the painting includes a satyr who stands in for the voyeuristic viewer and who gazes lustfully at the central pair. The satyr's lechery is clearly signaled by his wagging tongue, his leering eyes, and his grasping hand, but

significantly, it is impossible to tell who the satyr is lookinb at: his gaze cuts diagonally across both figures from Cupid's bottom to Venus' lap, and then, appropriately enough, to the tip of the arrow that Venus holds.

DYCK, Sir Anthony vanDiana and a Nymph Discovered by a Satyr

In this scene, night falls after a fruitful day of hunting- numerous pieces of game are stacked nearby- and Diana sleeps alongside one of the nymphs from the entourage assigned her by her father, Jupiter. This straightforward and frequently depicted episode is the subject of the present work. And even the presence of the satyr -possibly the lecherous god of the forests, Pan- comes as no

surprise here, as he always hovered around the nymphs.

This satyr’s expressive left hand is central to the narration, expressing his desires and his leading role in the scene. He is not only pointing at Diana, who may be the ultimate goal of this satyr’s desires, but also at the quiver, the bow and the dog- the goddess’s

inseparable attributes and those that make her most feared and powerful.

With the dog asleep and the weapons lying in the corner, Diana’s nudity conveys a sense of vulnerability. Both she and her companion seem accessible, and that quality is what makes this scene doubly disturbing, both because of the satyr’s presence

and for the viewer, whom the satyr involves in the scene by obliging him to share the enjoyment of Diana’s sensual nudity.

POUSSIN, NicolasA Bacchic Scene

This subject is frequent in Poussin´s work. It presents a nude bacchant holding a jug while a goat-footed faun with an ivy-leaf belt and crown drinks from a vessel held by a cupid.

Unlike later works, this work give more emphasis to the subject matter than to the surrounding landscape, combining mythology with nudity. This would seem to indicate that the scene refers to a specific text which has yet to be identified.

The rapid and careless technique is combined with a very straightforward composition dominated by muted colors that are heightened with a few touches of red.

A replica of this canvas is at the Pushkin Museum in Moscow, and it has important similarities to The Bacchant and the Satyr at the National Gallery in Dublin. This work is listed in the 1746 inventory of King Felipe V´s collection at the Palace of La Granja de San

Ildefonso. It entered the Prado Museum in 1829.

WATTEAU, Jean-AntoineNymph and Satyr, or Jupiter and Antiope

This painting, also known as Nymph and Satyr, is one of the most sensual works by Watteau. The subject is taken from Greek mythology (Ovid, Metamorphoses). Antiope was a nymph or, according to some, the wife of a king of Thebes.

She was surprised by Jupiter in the form of a Satyr while she was asleep, and was ravished by him. The theme was used at different art periods as a medium for portrayal of the female nude.

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Satyrs and Nymphs in paintings