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Odysseus and the Daughters of Lycomedes, Baldassare Peruzzi

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Odysseus and the Daughters of Lycomedes, Baldassare Peruzzi Performing Arts in Art Information and Questions for Teaching Odysseus and the Daughters of Lycomedes, Baldassare Peruzzi Odysseus and the Daughters of Lycomedes Baldassare Peruzzi Italian, about 1520 Pen and brown ink and black chalk, heightened with white bodycolor, squared in black chalk 6 15/16 x 9 1/2 in. 85.GG.39 Background Information Knowing that her son would die if he fought in the Trojan War, Achilles’ mother, Thetis, sent him to live with the daughters of King Lycomedes of Scyros disguised as a woman. Odysseus, king of Ithaca, who wanted Achilles to fight against Troy, went to Lycomedes’ palace dressed as a merchant. He offered the daughters jewelry and clothing but also included a sword, spear, and shield. When a trumpet sounded, Achilles automatically grabbed the weapons, thus revealing his disguise. Here, Odysseus stands at the left, inviting the daughters into the palace. Baldassare Peruzzi produced this drawing in preparation for one of four oval frescoes in a Roman villa. The drawing’s high degree of finish, with no visible corrections made by the artist, indicates that it may have been used as a finished study for a larger work. About the Artist Baldassare Peruzzi (Italian, born Siena 1481, died Rome 1536) Baldassare Peruzzi was very successful as a draftsman and architect, although he also created paintings. He made much-admired studies of antique buildings during the Renaissance, a period of history that began in the fourteenth century and saw a renewed interest in the study of classical antiquity. Renaissance thinkers believed that the arts and humanities had declined during the Middle Ages and were fascinated by Greco-Roman literature, history, art, and philosophy. Many of Peruzzi’s painted house facades, all now destroyed, included antique themes and were meant to look like grand “ancient” sculptural facades. Upon arriving in Rome from Siena in 1502, Peruzzi used perspective to give his two-dimensional mural paintings a three-dimensional appearance. He also painted theater perspectives later used in a treatise on architecture. In 1515, he designed a new facade for Bologna Cathedral and later worked on a church, chapel, and palazzo in the town. When Raphael died in 1520, Peruzzi succeeded him as architect of Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome, using drawing as a tool to understand and further develop the existing plans. © 2011 J. Paul Getty Trust © 2011 J. Paul Getty Trust. This education resource is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. Performing ArtsPerforming in Art Arts in Art Information and Information Questions and for Questions Teaching for Teaching Odysseus Odysseusand the Daughters and the Daughters of Lycomedes, of Lycomedes, Baldassare Baldassare Peruzzi Peruzzi Following the SackFollowing of Rome the Sackin 1527, of Rome Peruzzi in 1527,retreated Peruzzi to Siena, retreated where to heSiena, became where architect he became for the architect for the city. Here he improvedcity. Here fortifications, he improved devised fortifications, a minting devised machine, a minting and constructedmachine, and several constructed villas. Heseveral villas. He also designed alsoa dome designed and altar a dome for the and modernization altar for the modernizationof Siena Cathedral of Siena and Cathedralreconstructed and reconstructeda dam. a dam. © 2011 J. Paul Getty Trust© 2011 J. Paul Getty Trust 3 3 © 2011 J. Paul Getty Trust. This education resource is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. Performing ArtsPerforming in Art Arts in Art Information and Information Questions and for QuestionsTeaching for Teaching Odysseus andOdysseus the Daughters and the ofDaughters Lycomedes, of Lycomedes, Baldassare Baldassare Peruzzi Peruzzi Questions forQuestions Teaching for Teaching Take the time toT akelook the closely time atto thelook drawing closely andat the share drawing your andinitial share observations. your initial observations. What do the columnsWhat do in the backgroundcolumns in the reveal background about where reveal the about scene where is happening? the scene (Theis happening? (The columns may indicatecolumns a palace.)may indicate a palace.) Look closely at Lookthe figur closelye on atthe the left. figur Basede on onthe his left. pose, Based what on dohis youpose, think what he do could you be think saying he could to be saying to the women on thethe right?women (He on might the right? be inviting (He might them be inside.) inviting them inside.) Look at the secondLook figure at the from second the figureright. Based from the on right.her pose, Based what on herdo youpose, think what she do is you doing? think ( Hershe is doing? (Her raised arm is holdingraised aarm piece is holdingof fabric a aspiece if she of fabricis hiding as something,if she is hiding and something, her right hand and is her placed right onhand is placed on the shoulder of thethe shoulderfigure to herof the right, figure as ifto pushing her right, the as figure if pushing away. the She figure looks away. like shShee may looks be like she may be hiding the figurehiding.) the figure.) This drawing depictsThis drawing Odysseus, depicts king Odysseus, of Ithaca, searchingking of Ithaca, for Achilles. searching It had for Achilles.been foretold It had to been foretold to Achilles’ mother,Achilles’ Thetis, mother,that her Thetis,son would that dieher in son the would Trojan die War. in the To Trojanprevent War. this Tofrom prevent occurring, this from occurring, Achilles had beenAchilles dressed had as been a maiden dressed and as sent a maiden to live andamong sent the to livedaughters among of the Lycomedes. daughters ofDo Lycomedes. Do you think Achillesyou is think pictu Achillesred in the is drawing?pictured in What the drawing?do you see What in the do drawingyou see thatin the makes drawing you that say makes you say so? so? Based on the posesBased of on the the figures poses and of thewhat figures you know and whatof the you story know of Achilles of the story so far, of Achilleswhat do soyou far, what do you think happens next?think happens next? © 2011 J. Paul Getty Trust © 2011 J. Paul Getty Trust 4 4 © 2011 J. Paul Getty Trust. This education resource is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/..
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