Friday, 4 February 2011

Naughty Nereids


The Waterbaby: Herbert James Draper (1863-1920)

When I did my Mermaids post a couple of weeks ago, I found I had a whole bunch of pictures left over, of sea-nymphs without any fishy characteristics. Although frequently (mis)titled "Sirens" or "Naiads" (because artists didn't bother doing their blasted research first) they are technically Nereids - sea-spirits in the form of beautiful shapely maidens. I suspect the shapely maiden bit was probably the important point as far as the purchasers were concerned. Anyway, here they are for your delectation. Some more Drapers to start with:

The Sea Maiden
Looks like the start of a story to me...


Flying Fish



The Siren: Sir Edward Poynter (1836-1919)

Nice lyre. But repeat after me, Sir Edward: sirens are part-bird.
Though I much prefer his attempt at mythological portraiture to this sort of thing:

Sea Nymphs: Albert Laurens (1870-1934)

This above is an example of erotic painting where the artist demonstrates no respect for, or interest in, the putative mythology at all, and I don't actually like it much. There's nothing eerie or otherworldly about these women. It's the equivilent of photoshopping a nude picture onto a fake background. There's nothing wrong with nudey pictures, but that isn't mythological art.

The Naiads: Gioacchino Pagliei (1852-1896)

Much better. Even if naiads are actually nymphs of wells, springs and fresh water ... and shouldn't be playing with sea-gulls. Hey-ho.


Perseus and the Sea Nymphs: Edward Burne-Jones (1833-1898)

Burne-Jones' sea-nymphs are uncharacteristically modest. But I like the fact they stand around in a puddle.
 

Kiss of the Siren: Gustav Wertheimer (1847-1904)

Huzzah - back to scary nudes!


The Fisherman and the Siren: Knut Ekwall (1843-1912)


Naiads of the Sea: Gustave Dore (1832-1883)

And finally we're back to Edward Poynter for a picture that epitomises dirty-yet-ultra-respectable Victorian mythological art:

Cave of the Storm Nymphs

This is the picture with everything: overtly erotic nudes, mythological depth, beautifully rendered scenery, and a dramatic narrative. Love that shipwreck!
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10 comments:

  1. Craig Sorensen4 February 2011 at 12:23

    I've always loved leftovers, Janine, and these are no exception.

    Wow!

    "Cave of the Storm Nymphs" has me ready to get dashed out on a rock. Love "Flying Fish" too.

    Great, inspiring stuff.

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  2. Janine Ashbless4 February 2011 at 15:17

    :-)
    Thanks Craig!

    These big posts take hours to prepare, but it's so nice to share the images that inspire me!

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  3. Scarlett Knight4 February 2011 at 17:53

    What beautiful pieces of art! Thanks for sharing--definitely inspiring :)

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  4. Chris4 February 2011 at 18:54

    You're not wrong about the shipwreck. I need to go lie down in a darkened room now.

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  5. Jo4 February 2011 at 23:29

    Whirlpool red head!

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  6. Fulani5 February 2011 at 01:40

    I didn't know 'Cave of the Storm Nymphs' - wonderful pic, very dense narrative in there... and an interesting article. Thanks for the post!

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  7. Janine Ashbless5 February 2011 at 11:13

    Storm nymph win!

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  8. Erobintica5 February 2011 at 19:02

    "These big posts take hours to prepare..."

    Janine, I love how you spend your time! Your comments on these are always fun too. And yeah, "Cave of the Storm Nymphs" was pretty damn evocative. ;-)

    I always feel like I'm getting some culture when I look at these posts. You should teach art history!

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  9. Janine Ashbless6 February 2011 at 08:52

    Heh. "And today, class, we will be looking at hot mythological babes." :-)
    Do you think that'll go down well with the local education authority?

    Thanks for all the kind comments, folks!

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  10. Anonymous2 March 2011 at 16:30

    Some nice paintings I hadn't seen before. The Cave of the Storm Nymphs is owned by Andrew LLoyd-Webber!

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