![]() Traditionally, Perseus represented good and Medusa evil, but this depiction is more ambiguous. ![]() He stares directly at Medusa, which according to the myth would turn him to stone. Though Perseus just beheaded Medusa, his own head looks like a skull. In Racz’s piece, Perseus and Medusa are abstracted figures. According to the Greeks, Medusa was a snake-haired Gorgon beheaded by the hero Perseus. Scholars believe the piece to be an allegory of the end of World War II. Both were female figures known for being singers of beautiful songs. In 1945 the Romanian-born artist André Racz created “Perseus Beheading Medusa VIII,” an engraving with aquatint. In later mythology, the Muses were compared to the sirens. Modern artists considered myths as important as the ancient Greeks did, and interpreted them for their own time and place. It’s rare to see such old, beautifully decorative pieces, created by a society that worshipped these figures. ![]() Red and black Greek vases, dating from the sixth and fifth centuries B.C., depict mythological scenes such as Athena on a chariot and Heracles (Hercules) completing two labors. She was considered the wisest of the Muses, and the chief Muse. Calliope was considered the muse of epic poetry and speech. Each muse had a different type of art they commanded. At one point it was believed that there were only three muses, but the currently accepted understanding is that there were nine. This is because the Muses were originally the goddesses of the arts which often lead to inspiration. It includes ancient Greek vases, Renaissance prints of classical sculptures, Greek coins, a maiolica dish, and modern paintings.įor me, the most interesting pieces here are the oldest and newest works. The nine Muses were the goddesses the arts. The term muse is now almost synonymous with inspiration. “Picturing Narrative: Greek Mythology in the Visual Arts” at the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum is a small show but its incredible variety of objects more than makes up for that. In Greek mythology, Thalia ( / la / 1 2 or / eli / 3 Ancient Greek: 'the joyous, the flourishing', from Ancient Greek:, thllein 'to flourish, to be verdant'), also spelled Thaleia, was one of the Muses, the goddess who presided over comedy and idyllic poetry. Artists have taken inspiration from Greek myths for the past 2,500 years, evidence of the myths’ relevancy long after ancient Greek civilization disappeared.
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