Leda and the Swan is a story from Greek mythology in which Zeus, in the form of a swan, seduces Leda. Leda and the Swan is also a subject in art from Greek mythology. According to later mythology, Leda bore Polydeuces and Helen, children of Zeus, the same time she was bearing Castor and Clytemnestra (known as the Dioskouroi), the children of her husband Tyndareus, the King of Sparta. In a specific version of the story, it is subtly hinted that Clytemnestra, despite her being the daughter of Tyndareus, has been traumatized by what the swan had done to her mother. According to many versions of the story, Zeus took the form of a swan and seduced Leda on the same night she had slept with her husband.
Anne Boleyn How important was Anne Boleyn in the English reformation? Anne’s Influence on Henry and his decision to divorce Catherine Catherine of Aragon was born in 1485 to the King and Queen of Spain and so she was 6 years older than Henry VIII. Originally Catherine came to England to marry Arthur, Henry’s older brother. During these times, Kings and Queens did not marry for love, as people do today. They married in order to form a friendship between countries.
Inspired by Greek mythology, William Butler Yeats authored an ambiguous sonnet depicting a graphic encounter by Leda and the god Zeus, in the form of a swan. In the poem’s conclusion, he was able to examine the awareness (or lack thereof) of the Spartan queen. This was quoted as “Did she put on his knowledge with his power before the indifferent beak could let her drop” (Yeats, 1924) in the conclusion of the piece. The query points out Leda’s partial acquisition of Zeus’ godly functions (knowledge and power) during his exhibit of apparent indifference. Though rarely considered, it could be a sudden wise counter-ploy by Leda.
These two tales share sexual themes, presence of non-princely princes and lacks the glamour of choosing to be a heroine. Sleeping Beauty, as many other tales, traces back to the early 1500’s although the first distinct publication of the tale does not surface until nearly a hundred years later by Giambattista Basile, "Sun, Moon, and Talia" also known more formally as Il Pentamerone, Day 5, Tale 5 (1636). In this tale Sleeping Beauty is named Talia, the long awaited daughter of the king and queen. This tale is similar to what we have heard before up until the arrival of her supposed savior. A king stumbles on an empty castle and the most beautiful dead woman he had ever laid his eyes on.
Aphrodite was the goddess of beauty, love and lust. In Homer’s version, it was said that Aphrodite was the daughter of Dione and Zeus. According to Hesiod’s version, Aphrodite rose out of the white foam created when Cronus cut off Uranus's genitals and threw them out into the sea. She was then carried across the sea, to Cythera and then to Cyprus, by Zephyrus, the god of West wind. There, Aphrodite was welcomed by Themis' daughters.
Christ of Saint John of the Cross Dali’s painting of the crucifixion awes and inspires me. I wonder why we see the crucifixion from the angle it is portrayed. I find the title “Christ of St. John of the Cross” intriguing and perhaps not such a tell all of the painting. On a very surface level, I have discovered Dali’s use of space, implied, lines, and perception to show a lot about the point he was trying to portray and I am excited to continue to research this piece. Rather than bring any innovation in pictorial language or mode of representation to painting, Dali s paradoxical images are his great contribution to the art of our time.
Peter Paul Rubens was commissioned in 1621 to commemorate the life events of his patron, Marie de Medici with a cycle of 24 paintings. While this was an impressive commission, depicting the life of the largely unpopular queen whose highpoints included marrying Henry IV and bearing 6 children, would be difficult to represent. Marie de Medici was, at the time of the commission, quite possibly the most powerful woman in Europe and came from an impressive bloodline; she was the granddaughter of the Holy Roman Emperor and the daughter of the Grand Duke of Tuscany and the Archduchess of Austria. She was married to King Henry IV of France and took the throne as Queen of France where she ruled as regent when her husband was assassinated. She ruled until her son, Louis XIII took power at the age of 15 and banished her to exile.
She’s also the patron of hunters (“Artemis”, Columbia). Apollo was born on the Island of Delos with his twin Artemis. When Hera (Zeus’s other lover) discovered that Leto was pregnant with Zeus’s offspring, she was so jealous that she sent a serpent after Leto to prevent Leto from delivering her children safely. Leto eventually found solace in the island Delos (formerly known as Ortygia). Artemis was born first, and she helped her mother through nine days of labor while she gave birth to Apollo (Osborn and Burgess 89).
Why did the Renaissance happen? Before we can discuss why the Renaissance happened we should know what the Renaissance was: the word Renaissance means “rebirth” in French, and it is a time period when art and culture basically was reborn. But if something was reborn it has to be born in the first place so from that we can gather that art, culture and science had already existed and developed before. The Renaissance itself took the existing art to another level after it discovered it because people had lost information about art, culture and science during the Dark Ages. The existing scientific and artistic standard had been achieved during the ancient Roman period but the following Dark Ages during 600 to 1600 AD started because they weren’t as wealthy as they were in the Roman period and had no money for spending on luxuries such as art and knowledge.
He used these observations to depict realism in his art, and he used his imagination and skill to make his paintings as real and lifelike as humanly possible. With sculpture Leonardo believed there were limits, with painting, he had endless possibilities, and with these endless possibilities at his fingertips he could add certain symbols, and characteristics. One of these things was geometric shapes, they were a staple of the renaissance and a common theme in Leonardo’s paintings. Often times a triangle can be seen, which is a universal sign of the holy trinity. Another detail Leonardo would add is something a little more humanistic; he would give each being their own personal traits and facial features.