LAA 101 Final Art Project: Mythology in Art, My Art Exhibit

1. Mythology in Art
Selections made from the Prado Museum in Madrid, Spain
By Lauren Priebe

2. VENUS
Artist: Bartolomeo Ammannati
Medium: Bronze Cast
Dimensions: 179 cm x 58 cm x 52 cm
- 212,6 kg

3. VENUS
• In this sculpture piece titled Venus, the
artist uses bronze to create a
representation of the Roman goddess who
signifies love and sexuality. This particular
piece is a variation of the Chaste Venus,
where the goddess has one hand over her
breasts and the other over her pubis, a
popular stance the goddess Venus is seen
in. The artist creates this particular shape
for Venus as an icon. By placing her hands
in these two positions, it is easily
recognized as the goddess Venus and
creates a powerful image of her. The artist
uses lines in this piece to give a shape to
the female body. The lines are delicate and
outline the female figure. This sculpture
has actual mass because it occupies three-
dimensional space. It has actual balance.
Venus has a biomorphic space because it
looks like a female body. The artist shapes
this sculpture to have the curves of a
woman.

4. THE THREE GRACES
Artist: Peter Paul Rubens
Medium: Oil, Wood Panel
Painting
Dimensions:220,5 cm x 182 cm

5. THE THREE
GRACES
• In this oil painting, Three Graces, the painting
depicts three different women in mythology:
Aglaia who symbolizes radiance, Euphrosine
who symbolizes joy and Thalia who symbolizes
flowering. The artist of this painting uses delicate,
slightly darker lines to form and outline the
bodies of the three women. The women in this
picture are much lighter and brighter than the rest
of the photo signifying they are the central focus
of this painting, the positive shapes. Their bodies
are meant to look like they are made out of
marble, the artist uses visual texture to create this
look in the women. By keeping all of the
women’s bodies similar in shape and color, the
artist creates unity in the picture. These central
shapes are biomorphic shapes because they look
like real female bodies. The artist creates circular
rhythm throughout this piece. The women in this
picture are all joined together and intertwined to
look like they are dancing and moving around.

6. THE CONTEST OF
DIANA’S NYMPHS
• Artist: Royal Porcelain Factory
of El Buen Retiro
• Medium: Ceramics
• Dimensions:16 cm x 31 cm

7. THE CONTEST
OF DIANA’S
NYMPHS
• In this piece, The Contest of Diana’s Nymphs, the
ceramic art piece is telling a story about a group of
Nymphs who are hunting along with the goddess
Diana who has the half moon over her head. In
mythology, Diana is the goddess of hunt. In this
ceramic piece, it has actual mass. It takes up space and
is three-dimensional. It has an actual balance. The
piece has biomorphic spaces in it, the people depicted
in the piece are very life like and there body shapes are
true to the form of a human being. The piece has unity
because of the color of the ceramic. The piece is all
one color and medium. In this particular piece the
artist uses the shape of the moon above Diana’s head
as an icon. He uses the moon shape to represent her as
a goddess. This piece also has motion to it. When you
look at this piece you can see that the people in it are
supposed to be moving and hunting; the artist uses
stopped time to imply motion. The artist has
overlapping in this picture with the animals and
humans. The way the humans and animals overlap
and intertwine each other creates this three-
dimensional element to this ceramic. The artist creates
conceptual unity throughout this piece by using
elements of hunting throughout the piece. You can see
many people with bows and arrows trying to hunt the
bird.

8. CROSSING THE RIVER
STYX
• Artist: Joachim Patinir
• Medium: Oil, Panel Painting
• Dimensions: 64 cm x 103 cm

9. CROSSING THE
RIVER STYX
• In the oil painting, Crossing the River Styx the
paints the story of the river Styx in Greek
mythology that connects the Earth with the
Underworld. The artist of this painting uses lines
elegant lines to give outline to the landscape. The
lines in this photo show where the land ends and
the sky begins. The artist cool colors the most in
this painting. He uses shades of blue to show the
water and shades of green to show the landscape
and trees. The artist uses a color technique called
chiaroscuro when painting the river. The river
starts off in a darker blue and the farther the river
goes and closer it gets to the clouds it becomes
lighter. The artist also creates a lot of visual
textures throughout the painting. He creates the
texture of waves in the river to signify moving
water. He also creates texture in the trees and
rocks. This painting has an asymmetrical balance
to it, on one side of the river is another beautiful
river flowing to mountains. The other side has
buildings and trees up in flames, burning away. I
think this artist uses asymmetrical balance to
show good versus evil in this painting. The artist
creates a focal point in this painting by isolating
the man in the boat on the river. I think the artist
does this because this man is carrying people to
either heaven or hell and he is stuck in the middle.
He is in the middle of good and evil.

10. SARCOPHAGUS WITH THE STORY
OF ACHILLES AND POLYXENA
• Artist: Attic Workshop
• Medium: Carved Marble
• Dimensions: 83 cm x 133 cm x
8 cm

11. SARCOPHAGUS
WITH THE STORY
OF ACHILLES
AND POLYXENA
• In this sculpture, The Sarcophagus with the Story
of Achilles and Polyxena, it is a piece meant to
represent a combat between the Aqueans and the
Trojans in mythology. This sculpture piece made
of marble is meant to tell different scenes from the
story and marriage of Achilles and Polyxena, a
Trojan princess. The artist uses lines in this
sculpture at the top and bottom of the piece to
form an outline around the characters. The line to
me is assertive and straight, guiding the audience
to look at all the characters in the piece as sort of a
timeline. The sculpture has a repetitive rhythm to
it. When you first look at the piece you see this
repetition of humans that all look the same. It’s
not until you look closer that you can see the
differences in these people. This piece has unity
and continuity to it. All the humans are facing the
same way and are all the same size. The use of
marble throughout the entire piece also creates
unity because the whole piece is one color. This
sculpture has actual mass because it has
measurable weight and volume to it. It has actual
balance. In this sculpture the shapes are
biomorphic. The men in this picture have specific
details to them that make them life-like. You can
see different facial features and muscles in their
bodies.

12. Why I Selected These Pieces
• The reason I chose these art pieces to be displayed in my
exhibit because of the theme I decided to go with:
mythology. When I was looking at different pieces in the
Prado Museum the first theme that struck me was a
religious theme. But once I started looking at the different
mediums I noticed that there was a theme in mythology. I
decided to go with that them because I could have more
variety in my pieces and I love mythology. I love the
stories that mythology creates and I thought all the pieces
I chose had a story and meaning behind them. With
mythology, there are many different stories and figures
and I was interested to see how different artists took these
stories and create their own pieces of art from them.

13. Gallery Layout
• If I were going to put these five artworks on display in an
exhibit I would place the sculpture of Venus in the middle of
the room. I think sculptures are unique because they can be
analyzed at many different angles because of it is three-
dimensional. I think it is important that it is placed where all
sides can be seen. On the left wall I would place the ceramic
piece, The Contest of Diana’s Nymphs. On the right wall I
would place the carved marble piece, Sarcophagus with the
Story of Achilles and Polyxena. I think these three pieces
should be in one line. On the back wall I would place both of
the oil paintings, Crossing the River Styx and The Three
Graces. I think these pieces have great coloring to them and
would compliment and balance each other nicely on the back
wall.