Orpheus was a legendary musician in Greek Mythology. Orpheus fell in love with a nymph named Eurydice and they were happy together. Aristaeus wanted Eurydice though, while Eurydice tried to escape from Aristaeus she was bitten by a poisonous snake and died. Orpheus followed his love, Eurydice, into the underworld to get her back. He played his music for Hades, who allowed him to take her out of the underworld; as long as he didn't look back till they were out of the underworld. Orpheus looked back losing Eurydice forever.
Portrait of Cosimo I de' Medici as Orpheus, Agnolo Bronzino (Agnolo di Cosimo di Mariano), Italian (active Florence), 1503 - 1572, c. 1537-1539, From the collection of: Philadelphia Museum of Art
This painting is oil on panel, painted during the high renaissance. The painting is an example of chiaroscuro, with the shadows creating the illusion of depth in this painting. The painting has lines of different thickness, which detail the muscles of Orpheus. The emphasis in this art is on Orpheus who is large in the foreground.
Landscape with Orpheus, Unknown, 16th century, about 1570, From the collection of: The J. Paul Getty Museum
This painting is also oil on panel, created during the high renaissance. The painting has lines that form a stream, which creates movement by making our eyes follow the stream into the background, the stream also seemingly points to Orpheus playing his lyre. Space is created by the shading seen in the background; which appears to be the sfumato technique, which gives the background a smokey haze.
Mosaic Floor with Orpheus and the Animals, with Four Seasons in the Corners, Unknown, A.D. 150–200, From the collection of: The J. Paul Getty Museum
This piece is a mosaic, with its medium being stone and glass. The art has multiple shapes such as circles, triangles, squares and hexagons. The four corners represent the four seasons. The emphasis in this art is Orpheus who is at the center surrounded by animals, which is a reference to the stories of him playing his music and having animals follow in his footsteps.
Orpheus Charming the Animals, Josias Murer II, about 1600, From the collection of: The J. Paul Getty Museum
This picture's medium is black ink and brown wash on paper. Many lines create the images of Orpheus surrounded by animals, that have come to hear his music. The emphasis is on Orpheus who is the central figure in this art, who calms the animals with the music he creates with his lyre.
In this art Orpheus and two sirens are shown as sculptures. The mediums for these sculptures are terracotta and pigment. The sculptures are proportionate with each other. The sculptures tell the story of when Orpheus saved Jason and the Argonauts from crashing into the rocks, that they were being drawn to by the sirens song, by drowning out their song with his own. That story gives this art unity as Orpheus battles the sirens music with his own.
Orpheus and Eurydice, Jean Raoux, about 1709, From the collection of: The J. Paul Getty Museum
This painting's medium is oil on canvas. The emphasis in this painting is Orpheus and Eurydice who wear yellow and red; compared to Hades and Persephone who wear dark colors. Space is shown by making Orpheus and Eurydice larger than Hades and Persephone, which makes Hades and Persephone appear further away. In this image Orpheus is taking Eurydice out of the underworld, after he had played his music for Hades.
Was it not for this very language for which Orpheus had striven when, in search of Eurydice, he made ready for the descent into the realm of shades? #7, Lipman-Wulf, Peter, 1982, From the collection of: Leo Baeck Institute, Center for Jewish History
The medium for this art is ink on paper. In this image it appears that Orpheus is playing his lyre for Charon, who is the ferryman that takes the souls of the dead over the river Styx. Lines are drawn in rhythm, creating the water in this image. Lines also create the boat on which Orpheus and Charon stand.
Orpheus and Eurydice, Gaetano Gandolfi, 1802, From the collection of: National Gallery of Art, Washington DC
This art is a drawing and it's medium is black and white chalk on tan laid paper. In this image Orpheus had already looked back and is reaching for Eurydice, as she is dragged back into the underworld forever. The emphasis in this art is on Orpheus and Eurydice. The movement starts with Eurydice being pulled and Orpheus holding on to her.
Orpheus Leading Eurydice from the Underworld, Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, 1861, From the collection of: The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
This art is a painting and it's medium is oil on canvas. This piece shows Orpheus and Eurydice leaving the underworld. This piece shows space by making the trees and people in the background shorter, than Orpheus, Eurydice and other images in the foreground. The pale colors used give the painting an otherworldly look.
Orpheus, Gustave Moreau, 1865, From the collection of: Musée d’Orsay, Paris
This art is a painting and it's medium is oil on canvas. This image is after Orpheus lost Eurydice and swore he would never love again. Him never loving again made the women of Thrace jealous and they tore him apart and threw his head in a river, his head continued to sing till it reached the sea.
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