mysteriousartcentury:John William Waterhouse (1849-1917), Ulysses and the Sirens, 1891, oil on canva
mysteriousartcentury:John William Waterhouse (1849-1917), Ulysses and the Sirens, 1891, oil on canvas, 100.6 x 202 cm. National Gallery of Victoria.-This dramatic painting illustrates an episode from the journeys of the Greek hero Odysseus, as told in the ancient Greek poet Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey. The 1891 Royal Academy exhibition catalogue summarized the Homeric narrative:The Sirens, who with their melodious voices lured all navigators to destruction … were, according to classical tradition, creatures having the body of a bird with the head of a beautiful woman … They were informed by the oracle that as soon as any passed by without heeding their songs they should perish. Ulysses (the Roman name for Odysseus), warned by Circe, stopped (with wax) the ears of his companions and ordered himself to be bound to the mast, and so successfully passed the fatal coast.-More Art by John William Waterhouse -- source link