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Mythology Paul Manôhip

MYTHOLOGY AND THE ART OF PAUL MANÔHIP MYTHOLOGY

Classical mythology has given us a legacy of powerful and fascinating stories that reflect early man's desire to provide meaningful answers to some of the most profound questions about life and the universe. In Greek the word mythology (mythologia) means storytelling.

The myths of and Rome, whose gods are often interchangeable, deal with themes of love, war, tyranny, courage, and natural phenomena. They also explore the relationship between gods and men and the good and evil traits they share, such as greed, lust, jealousy, wisdom, and generosity.

A combination of ancient beliefs and great literature, classical mythology has been the inspiration for much of the art and literature of succeeding ages. In choosing the following myths as source material for his sculptures, Paul Manship brought the gods and mortals of antiquity vividly to life. AND PSYCHE

Princess Psyche had such unsurpassed beau­ ty that men began to worship her instead of , the goddess of love and beauty. Outraged, Aphrodite enlisted the help of her son Eros, the winged god of love, to punish Psyche. When Eros saw Psyche, however, he fell in love with her. Eros courted and charmed Psyche, but always in the dark; she could feel and hear him but was sworn not to attempt to see his face. Convinced that only an evil creature would shun light, Psyche held a lamp to Eros's face while he slept and was dazzled by the sight of this handsome god. Awakened, Eros rebuked Psyche for her breach of faith, and he fled. Determined to redeem herself. Psyche offered herself as a servant to Aphrodite. Touched by her repentance, Eros convinced to make Psyche immortal and allow them to be married on , the dwelling place of the gods.

Ems and Psyche, ca. 1925 pencil on tracing paper, 10 9/16 x 15 11/16 in. FLIGHT OF

Europa, the princess of Phoenicia, was play­ ing with her companions by the sea when

love. Fearful of his wife 's jealous wrath, Zeus thought it best to be cautious,

symbol of strength and fertility. Europa quickly overcame her fear and played with

crescent-shaped horns with flowers. Europa climbed on the animal's back, and Zeus nade his way into the surf and swam off. He carried Europa across the sea to , where he shed his disguise. Europa bore Zeus three sons, and she has the distinction of having a continent named after her.

flight of Europa, 1925 gilded bronze on marble base, 22 1/8 in. high ANADYOMENE

The goddess of love, beauty, grace, and fer­ tility, Venus was the daughter of Jupiter and Dione. One version of her birth states that she sprang from the sea and was car­ ried along the waves to the Island of Cyprus. Her name—Anadyomene—means "born of water." The most beautiful of all the gods, Venus married Vulcan, the ugly deformed god of destructive fire. Venus bore a son, Cupid, whose wings allowed him to fly and shoot his arrows into people to coax them into falling in love.

Venus Anadyomene, 1924 bronze on marble base, 9 in. high CIRCE ENCHANTS ULYSSES' SAILORS

Circe, daughter of the sun, was a sorceress who could transform men into animals by touching them with her magic wand. When Ulysses, king of Ithaca, sailed to Aeaea, Circe entertained the members of his advance party and then turned them into pigs. When Ulysses set out to rescue his men he was intercepted by Mercury, the winged messenger of the gods, who gave him an herb to enable him to resist Circe's enchantment. When Circe realized she had no power over Ulysses, she freed his men ftom her spell and became their friend. Ulysses stayed for a long time in her company, leading a leisurely life. When Ulysses' men finally convinced him to leave, Circe told them how to sail safely past the island inhabited by the Sirens—sea who, with their seductive songs, lured sailors to their death against the rocky coast.

Circe Enchants Ulysses' Sailors, 1957 bronze on wood base, 5 1/2 in. high

A lovely swift-footed maiden, Atalanta could run faster than all others. Because a prophecy warned her to avoid marriage, she challenged each of her suitors to a foot race—death being the penalty for defeat. While observing the races, a handsome youth named fell in love with Atalanta and challenged her, hoping to gain her hand in marriage. The young suitor invoked the aid of Venus, the goddess of love, who presented him with three golden apples. During the contest, Hippomenes dropped the three golden apples one after the other, each of which Atalanta paused to pick up. These delays allowed Hippomenes to win the race and to take as his bride Atalanta, who was secretly pleased by the race's outcome.

Atalanta, 1921 bronze, 28 3/4 in. high

Orpheus was such a marvelous musician that whenever he sang and played his lyre, nature itself would listen entranced and all creatures would follow him. One day, Eurydice, his wife, was bitten by a snake and died. Overwhelmed with grief, Orpheus ceased to play and sing, and wandered into the passage leading to the Underworld. There Orpheus played his lyre so mellifluously that he was allowed to enter , the underground home of the dead, where he was granted a favor: Eurydice would return from the dead if Orpheus could lead her to open air without looking back at her. In the Greek version of the story, Orpheus succeeded in this task, but in later Roman versions, Orpheus could not refrain from glancing at his wife and, through his excess of love, lost her.

The pairing of Orpheus and is Manship's own invention.

Orpheus, n.d. pencil on paper, 8 x 10 5/8 in.

Prometheus belonged to the gigantic race of gods called . To him lay the task of creating men and supplying them with what they needed to survive. Having fashioned man in the image of the gods, Prometheus was eager to provide a gift that would set humans above all other creatures—the gift of fire. Outraged by this deed and fearing that the use of this powerful tool might make man think himself immortal, Zeus, the king of the gods, had Prometheus chained to a rock on Mount Caucasus, where a vulture preyed on his liver each day. Every night the wound would heal, and the following day the tor­ ture would be repeated. Because Pro­ metheus neither repented nor begged for mercy, he has become a symbol for the no­ ble endurance of unmerited suffering—the first champion of man.

Prometheus Fountain, Rockefeller Center

photo: Bo Parker, NYC

Hercules, admired for his great physical strength and unflinching courage, was a popular in Greece. When he was eighteen, Hetcules slew the ferocious that lived in the nearby woods. After unsuccessfully using his club against the lion, he strangled the animal with his bare hands and wore its skin as a cloak—with the head forming a kind of hood over his own head. Then a terrible misfortune befell Hercules. As the illegitimate son of Zeus, he had incurred the jealous wrath of Hera, Zeus's wife, who inflicted a fit of madness upon him, causing him to kill his wife and children. To atone for this horrible deed, Hercules humbly agreed to submit to a series of penances. The twelve all but impossible tasks imposed on him have become known as the "Labors of Hercules."

Hercules, 1945 bronze, 12 9/16 in. high HERCULES AND THE CRETAN BULL

Hercules' seventh labor was to go to Crete where a great bull roamed at liberty, terri­ fying the people and trampling the vines and crops wherever it went. The bull had been given to Crete's King by , the god of the sea, who had ex­ pected the king to offer the bull as a sacrifice to him. When King Minos refused, Poseidon, in anger, drove the bull mad. Hercules managed to capture the bull single-handedly, and he put it on a boat and carried it back across the sea.

Unfortunately, the bull was turned loose and eventually made its way to Maratón, where , the Athenian hero, later caught the beast and sacrificed it.

Hercules and the Cretan Bull, 1956 bronze, 4 1/16 in. high AND PEGASUS

Envious of his wife's attention to the young warrior Bellerophon, Prince arranged for him to be sent to kill the , a fearsome monster who breathed fire, with the hope that Bellerophon would be killed. To assist him in his conquest, Bellerophon sought to tame the immortal winged horse, Pegasus. When Bellerophon asked , the goddess of wisdom, for advice, she presented him with a golden bridle and showed him where Pegasus drank from a stream. The magnificent horse submitted willingly to the bridle and together they flew high above the Chimera to avoid his flames, allowing Bellerophon to slay the monster with his spear.

Proud of his success, Bellerophon decided to ride Pegasus to Mount Olympus, but the horse threw him. He tumbled to earth and spent the rest of his life wandering alone.

Bellerophon and Pegasus, 1950 bronze, 7 1/2 in. high DIANA AND A C T A E O N

Diana was the woodland goddess of the moon and of hunting, as well as the pro­ tector of wild animals, women, children, and weak creatures. The twin sister of , the sun god, Diana is characterized by her purity and her vengeful attitude toward anyone who would violate her honor.

One day a young prince named Actaeon was hunting on Mount Citheron with his friends. Wandering off alone, he accidental­ ly came upon Diana, bathing nude in a stream, attended by her nymphs. Enraged by this invasion of her privacy and unable to reach her bow and arrow, Diana splashed water in Actaeon's face, instantly turning him into a stag. Not recognizing their master, Actaeon's dogs chased and devoured him, cheered on by the other huntsmen. Only with Actaeon's death was Diana's wrath appeased.

Actaeon (Ml), 1925 bronze, 48 in. high

Diana, 1924 bronze, 49 in. high THESEUS AND

Theseus was a famous Athenian warrior. Each year as a tribute to King Minos, four­ teen Athenian girls and boys were sacrificed to the monstrous , a creature half man and half bull, who dwelt in a on the island of Crete. The Minotaur was the offspring of King Minos's wife and the Cretan bull. Resolved to end these sacrifices, Theseus sailed to Crete, where he was aided by Ariadne, the daughter of King Minos. The labyrinth was designed to prevent those who entered from finding their way out, so Ariadne gave Theseus a thread to attach to the en­ trance and unwind as he walked through

the maze. After slaying the Minotaur, Theseus escaped by following the thread. Sailing for , Theseus and Ariadne stopped at the island of Naxos, where he deserted her while she slept. Theseus later explained that Minerva, the goddess of wisdom, had come to him in a dream and ordered him to abandon Ariadne.

Theseus and Ariadne, 1928 bronze, 7 13/16 in. high THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART

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WHO'S WHO IN MYTHOLOGY

GREEK ROMAN Aphrodite Venus Apollo Apollo Diana Minerva Bacchus Eros Cupid Vulcan Hera Juno Mercury Ulysses Poseidon Neptune Zeus Jupiter

other figure i referred to in the myths are Greek.

Text: Nora Panzer Design: Cynthia Hotvedt THE ART OF PAUL MANSHIP will be on view at the National Museum of American Art 8th and G Streets, NW Washington, DC. 20560 from 17 February through 23 July 1989-

COLUMBUS MUSEUM OF ART Columbus, Ohio 10 December 1989-4 February 1990

ARCHER M. HUNTINGTON ART GALLERY Austin, Texas 16 March-29 April 1990

FORT WAYNE MUSEUM OF ART Fort Wayne, Indiana 2june-29July 1990

TAMPA MUSEUM OF ART Tampa, Florida 8 September-4 November 1990

MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART Memphis, Tennessee 1 December 1990-3 February 1991

MILWAUKEE ART MUSEUM Milwaukee, Wisconsin 7 March-ß May 1991

METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART New York, New York ;; June-1 September 1991

The exhibition was organized by the National Museum of American Art and is supported by a grant from the James Smithson Society.

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