Art and Mythology: Gods, Heroes, and Monsters in Ancient Narratives
Peter Paul Rubens - Minerva Protects Pax from Mars (Peace and War). Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
For centuries art has brought to life the rich tapestry of ancient mythology. Embodying complex human experiences and themes, artists have drawn upon dark folk tales, scenes from ancient mythology, and imagined scenarios to immortalize gods, monsters, and heroes that continue to inspire wonder and reflection in modern audiences.
Greek Attic Pottery Trefoil Oinochoe – Dionysus & Satyr. Sold for $8,000 via Artemis Gallery (October 2021)
Ancient Greek and Roman mythology has for hundreds of years provided rich and exciting inspiration for art and sculpture. Capturing these ancient narratives and transforming them into visual masterpieces, artists have not only preserved ancient stories but also provided insight into the values, beliefs, and aesthetics of the societies that created them.
Apulian Pottery Kantharos, Eros & Maenad. Sold for $3,350 via Artemis Gallery (June 2021).
Portrayed in various forms throughout history, art has been a powerful medium for preserving and conveying the rich narratives of mythology. Through sculptures, paintings, and pottery, ancient stories of gods, heroes, and monsters have been immortalized, allowing these tales to transcend time. The artistic depictions of these myths not only serve as cultural artifacts but also as timeless expressions of human creativity and the enduring fascination with the divine and the supernatural.
Gods
Across continents, cultures, and throughout the ages, gods have often been depicted in naturalistic form. This allows these immortals to be shown in the human world and transforms them into relatable characters, while still possessing godly abilities and nobility. And this immortal appeal of characters without boundaries has provided a rich source of inspiration for artists.
The god of the sky in ancient Greek mythology, Zeus, is a popular figure of mythological art. He’s a ruler, protector, and father of all gods and humans who is often depicted brandishing a thunderbolt to emphasize his authority and divine power. Similarly, Athena, the goddess of wisdom and war has inspired the statue of Athena Parthenos. Not limited to strong depictions in stone, Pallas Athena (1657) by Rembrandt captured the goddess in the Dutch Golden Age style, while she has also inspired Sandro Botticelli’s Pallas and the Centaur (1482) and Minerva Protecting Peace from Mars (1629) by Peter Paul Rubens. And of course, no discourse about art and mythology is complete without the immortal Venus de Milo, who has even inspired Salvador Dali.
Salvador Dali – Vénus de Milo with Drawers. Sold for £485,000 via Sotheby’s (February 2016).
Figures and popular themes from Greek mythology were often used during the Renaissance to personify wealth and symbolize the revival of ancient ideals, but the depiction of gods hasn’t been limited to a specific period in art history. The figurative painter, Francis Bacon is known for his raw, unsettling imagery, so Greek mythology provides fertile inspiration for his tortured monster-like forms. This is evident in Three Figures and Portrait (1975) in which the bird-like creature with a snarling human mouth has been linked to the goddesses of vengeance and justice, Furies.
Monsters
The stories of myths and monsters are filled with imagination and nightmare. The tales are as grand as their legend and have fascinated a host of artists and styles. With the body of a man and the head and tail of a bull, the Minotaur from Greek mythology lived in a labyrinth and the minds of a host of artists. George Frederic Watts’ The Minotaur depicts the creature waiting for his young sacrificial victims to arrive by ship in a haunting image, while Minotaur in Love with a Female Centaur (1933) by Pablo Picasso incorporates the figure into his bestial work, and Auguste Rodin immortalized the beats in a statue of a sacrificial maiden falling into the clutches of the Minotaur.
The tale of Medusa has similarly inspired and the image of the Gorgon with snakes for hair has appeared in a range of dramatic sculptures capturing her demise at the hands of Perseus. Caravaggio was so inspired that he painted two versions of Medusa, the first in 1596 and the other around 1597.
Roman Marble Minotaur, 1st-2nd century AD. Sold for €913,000 via Christie’s (February 2009).
Auguste Rodin – Minotaure, cast by Griffoul & Lorge Foundry circa 1887. Sold for $170,000 via Bonhams (December 2023).
Not limited to ancient and Greek mythology, myths and monsters from around the globe have provided inspiration for many artists, including French post-impressionist Paul Gauguin. When he moved from France to Tahiti in 1895, he was inspired by his surroundings and often included gods and stories from Polynesian mythology in his paintings.
Marc Chagall found similar inspiration in Russian folklore for many of his colourful, dreamlike artworks. Paula Rego was likewise fascinated by folk tales and fairy tales, as she showed in a series of prints based on stories of the Pendle Witches, as well as a series of paintings based on Portuguese fairy tales. And J.M.W. Turner incorporated stories from classical mythology into his atmospheric landscapes that provided the perfect setting for battles between heroes and monsters. See for yourself in Sea Monsters and Vessels at Sunset (1845) and Sunrise with Sea Monsters from the same year.
Heroes
Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse – Two Bacchantes and Hercules Supporting an Amphora. Sold for £31,250 via Sotheby’s (December 2011).
Strong, smart, maybe even sexy, the appeal of the hero is timeless. Today, they dominate cinema and throughout art history they have been an inspiring, strong, and grand presence. Hercules embodies these ideals and is frequently depicted in his Twelve Labors. This is celebrated in Ancient Greek vases and sculptures, such as the Farnese Hercules, as well as in epic depictions by Rubens. His Hercules and the Nemean Lion shows a nude Hercules choking one of the mythological hero’s Twelve Labours, the Nemean lion, in a style that blends realism and Italian High Renaissance.
The Italian late Renaissance master Jacopo Tintoretto was also drawn to the hero Hercules in his The Origin of the Milky Way (1575–1580). The painting depicts the myth of Hera nursing Heracles, who suckled so strongly that she pushed him away and her milk sprayed across the heavens to form the Milky Way, and simultaneously gave Hercules supernatural powers.
The French symbolist, Gustave Moreau was similarly fascinated with the myth of Hercules, and allowed his imagination free rein in Hercules and the Lernaean Hydra. The seven-headed Hydra, a serpentine monster is the villain of the painting, but Hercules stands tall ready to sever the Hydra’s seventh, ‘immortal’ head.
Timeless Expression
Whether it’s gods, heroes, or monsters, the Renaissance era or the modern day, capturing the essence of gods, heroes, and monsters in art has resonated across time and cultures. Art has provided the perfect medium for exploring and expressing these rich narratives that have allowed tales to transcend time and place.
Through sculptures, paintings, and pottery, gods, heroes, and monsters in ancient narratives have been artistically immortalized to provide a window into the values, beliefs, and aesthetics of the societies that created them. Their appeal remains timeless through, as they continue to inspire wonder and reflection in modern audiences.
Not only timeless expressions of human creativity, the enduring fascination with the divine has also ensured an even greater legacy than artistry, as these depictions from Rubens, Picasso, Tintoretto and beyond also serve as enduring and invaluable cultural artifacts.
Sources: Tate.org.uk – Myths and Legends | Tate.org.uk – William Blake | Artsy.net – 6 Greek Myths You Should Know to Understand Art History | Tate.org.uk – Sea Monsters and Vessels at Sunset | Google Arts & Culture – The Labors of Hercules | MetMuseum.org – The Labors of Hercules | V&A Museum Collections – Hercules and the Nemean Lion | Artic.edu – Homer’s Odyssey: The Epic Voyages of Odysseus in 16 Artworks | Google Arts & Culture – The Aging Of a God: Zeus Throughout History | Astrology.com – Zeus: What Did He Look Like? | Google Arts & Culture – The Naturalistic Portrayal of Gods Through Religion and Art
Based in north London, England, Dan Mobbs has well over a decade of experience as a journalist and divides his time between sub-editing watch magazine Oracle Time and his love of art with Invaluable. With a wealth of museums on his doorstep, Dan regularly indulges his passion for mid-century modern design and modernist art at exhibitions and Invaluable has been a welcome home for his enthusiastic articles. Chat to him about Charles and Ray Eames and he’s putty in your hands.
