Bringing mythology into the real world, jason van horn

This scene depicts a selection from Ovid’s metamorphosis about Leda and the Swan where the swan represents Zeus and Leda, a goddess who was seduced by Zeus. I chose this because of the illusionary perspective giving space for our mythological characters to live in and occupy. However, this piece is unique because the horizon curves almost as if you’re looking to the ends of the earth, but you will notice that the mountains and trees of the background are not that far away. It is not clear why the artist chose to depict the background in this manner.

This scene depicts Susana who is taking a bath in the orchard while her husbands two friends lie in wait to watch her. The scene is unique because the viewer is in on the plot happening while the subject is not. This scene uses perspective to create a deep amount of space in the which we can also see a wall for the orchard and wild life wandering around. The background seems like it could go on forever as you can see a forest in the back of the archway. There’s even a faint outline of what might be a group of buildings in the upper left corner.

This is a depiction of the baths of Venus Genitrix from Pompeii which, at the time of this painting was thought to be a myth. In this painting linear perspective is clearly used to give the bath house a very clear distinguished space. While the figures in this scene are not depicting mythological characters, the space and custom they are portraying is mythological. At the time there was a fascination of the lifestyle of the Grecians and their famed erotic lifestyle.

This painting depicts Pan, a satyr on the right side looking over a sleeping nude woman. The precise meaning of this piece isn’t know but general themes of love are indicated by the cupid type figures in the cloud and Pan who is the Greek god of lust. In this painting significant effort went into showing a deep background giving us the feeling that this is taking place in our world off on a hill. The town and lake are clearly visible also giving a sense of realism and not illusionary space.

This painting depicts Venus of old mythology but in a modern flavor. She has some more distinct facial features and slight humanist qualities depicting a slightly fuller body and clothing. The positioning of the hand even evokes the style of statue of a Venus statue in Rome. This space is interesting because while there isn’t any background beyond that of the two cupids, it’s evident that she’s sitting on the edge of a bed in what appears to be a bedroom. The space is intimate with the drapery and clothing lining the bed to match the act of Venus admiring her body in the mirror.

This painting depicts a male faun and possibly his wife and children after he’s been hunting for food. The precise meaning of this art is not known. The topic though does dwell on the idea of mythical creatures of the forest and possible family life. To give weight to their existence we can see in the deep background a city sitting on the lake. The perspective of this space is not a clearly defined line but does very good job pulling your through to the center of the painting.

This is a depiction of Apollo and his sister Diana. Though no apparent theme is present in this piece, is is common to depict the two together because Apollo represents morale character, while his sister Diana, goddess of the moon represents chastity among other things. As with other Cranach paintings, a detailed and somewhat distant city is in the background giving space to our scene and the illusion that this takes place in the real world.

This painting entitled “The Birth of Venus” embodies many characters and possible myths. Venus is supposedly depicted in the center, though that is debated. This piece is a good example of illusionary perspective as the background doesn’t depict a specific place or setting. It could be part of our world or some heavenly setting.

This painting of Danae depicts her receiving a visit from Jupiter as a shower of gold which made her pregnant. This sense of space is much like Venus looking in the mirror in that it’s an intimate setting and reveals nothing about the background, yet you feel like you’re in a room with just her. Though the perspective is small we can see that cupid is behind her while his bow lies on the bed jutting toward the background.

This depicts Iphigenia sleeping in the woods when Cymon discovers her and is so inspired by her beauty that he changes his behavior for the good. We can see even more mythological association by recognizing the cupids hiding in the trees behind her. The space is well defined as we feel that this is in our world and could just be outside the castle walls as is depicted in the background.