music in mythology - Justin Boulay

This piece is a figurine made of faience, a type of ceramic, playing the lute. This piece is well balanced utilizing organic shapes, such as the muscles of the musician, as well as the geometric shape of the strings themselves and the fretboard of the lute. The green-blue color of the faience is typical of the medium.

This painting depicts the Queen of the Lonely Isle, an Irish myth surrounding the King of Erin, playing the harp. This piece depicts a sense of space through the use of depth; the queen in the foreground, the sea in the mid ground and the sky in the background. We can see movement in this painting as well with waves crashing against the rock and her dress blowing in the wind.

This sculpture depicts Krishna, of the Hindu faiths, playing the flute. Texture is prevalent with this piece as it is carved from wood and the grain is clearly visible. There is an emphasis in this piece on the head, with the headdress catching the viewers eye, and the flute which seems to be made from a different material.

Although the painting doesn't depict the musical aspect, the story of this painting, Pan and Syrinx leads to the musical quality. Depicting Pan the satyr and Syrinx the wood nymph who later becomes reed pipes, better known as the Pipes of Pan, or even a syrinx. There is a sense of unity and proportion in this piece with nature and the nude image of man blending together and all sizes and shapes working together.

This ceramic figurine portrays a ceremonial Peruvian drummer. There is a clear sense movement as the drummer is posed in the middle of actually beating his drum. There is an interesting use of proportion with his head being slightly larger than his body and his body being slightly wider than would be deemed normal.

In this painting, Hercules and Omphale, we can see Hercules playing a drum as he tries to woo Omphale. Omphale seems completely disinterested even though the entire court, including the cherubim, are enjoying Hercules’ music. The painting is vibrant with color, organic shapes and a great sense of space. We can see the subjects in the foreground and the line of trees in the background lead our eyes off into the distance.

This clay pot is a classic example of Greek pottery called a skyphos. It features a boy playing what appears to be an aulos, or Greek double flute. The subject himself shows straight, vertical lines, while the skyphos shows curved lines and is a great example of a cylindrical form.

In this piece, entitled Mythological Scene, we again see Pan, the satyr, up to his lustful tricks. Pan is considered a master of wind instruments so it’s fitting that we actually see the syrinx, or Pipes of Pan, in his hands. This seems to lead the viewer to think that he has already had his encounter with Syrinx. We can see the organic shapes of the nude form and the trees & fruit, as well as movement through the piece as our eyes are brought to the distant village.

This kalpis, a clay pot used for carrying water, features two nude males; one playing the aulos seemingly for the other male. There is great emphasis on the the male on the right with his regal looking cloak and it’s doubly emphasized by the aulos player almost bowing to the other. There are cracks in the glaze that might be overlooked at first glance, but these cracks add to the texture of the kalpis and create a pattern throughout the piece.

Venus and Anchises, features the Roman goddess and her mortal lover. We see Anchises with a harp as he pines after Venus. The scene is framed by the side of a building and trees, creating a sense of unity between the objects in the scene. The painting is well balanced with the objects lower in the foreground and objects raised and in the background.