Drawings of Greek Mythology

 Drawings of Greek Mythology 

The theme of this exhibition is Greek mythology and each drawing presented portrays a particular god, goddess or ancient mythological creature. The word mythology comes from the Greek words “mythos” meaning story of the people and “logos” which means word or speech. Mythology is a collection of fictional stories that usually have a moral and convey strong messages. 

The first drawing is Eos and Tithonus before Zeus by Peter von Cornelius in 1820-1821. The drawing has been made with charcoal on paper, which is pieces of burnt wood and was used by our ancestors to draw on cave walls. Charcoal is a dry medium, it can be sharpened with sandpaper and it can be hard or soft depending on the desired effect. Charcoal drawings needs to be sprayed with a varnish to keep them from smudging. Charcoal is a drawing implement mainly used to create a blurred, shadowy effect.  Eos was the goddess of the dawn , Tithonus was Eos's lover and Zeus was the god of the sky and he ruled the Olympian gods. The drawing technique is characteristic of the medium because the artist has created soft lines with the charcoal with intense shading wherever needed. The smudged effect of the charcoal gives the drawing an ancient, dreamy effect which adds to the mythological story. The ARTstor generated ID is 29833 ART414128. 

     The second drawing is called Hercules Strangling the Nemean Lion by Rubens, Peter Paul, Sir in 1577-1640. The drawing has been made with black chalk, red chalk, gouaches and watercolors. Chalk is a dry medium and it has a similar effect as charcoal and pastel. Chalk consists of pigment and a binder to be shaped. Despite the several drawing implements used, the red chalk is the most noticeable due to its vibrant color. Hercules was the son of Zeus, he was a hero in Greek mythology and he was known as the strongest man on earth. The Nemean Lion was a legendary creature and in this drawing, Hercules is heroically fighting it. The use of red chalk adds a dramatic effect to the drawing and it intensifies the battle between man and beast.  No ARTstor ID.

     

     This drawing is called Venus Bathing, with Cupid and Psyche by Titian in 1488-1576. The drawing has mostly been made with pen. Ink is a fluid medium and it has been used since ancient times. Pen creates linear drawings with precise details and fine lines. Venus was the goddess of love, sex, beauty and fertility. Cupid was the god of desire, erotic love, attraction and affection and Psyche is the the conscious and unconscious. The use of ink has helped the drawing come to life and the bodies of Venus and Cupid are so realistically detailed, which could not have been done with charcoal. No ARTstor ID. 

     This drawing is called The Call to Arms by Rimmer, William in 1816-1879. The drawing has been made with pencil which is a dry medium and it replaced silverpoint. A pencil is made out of a thin rod of graphite within wood or paper. The softness and hardness of a pencil depend of the amount of clay used to make it. Pencil is ideal for details, shading and easy erasing. William Rimmer is known for his precise drawings of human anatomy. Here he has drawn several nude men, possibly warriors or gods from ancient Greece, with very detailed bodies. The human body needs to be drawn with all of its details and lines which is why the use of pencil is appropriate for this drawing. No ARTstor ID.