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Pavlis April 16, 2012 Visual Mythology: A Visit to the Getty Villa Mythology is complex. It is rich with meaning that can be extracted through various mediums. A myth can be retold, reshaped, or re-imagined in a way in which meaning and interpretation can be tailored by the designer who chose to work with specific myth. When myth is used as the material for artistic expression, through a chosen medium, it expresses the artists choices and interpretation of the myth. He or she chooses to work with a particular myth and shapes the interpretation the audience will have by choosing to highlight particular scenes or element of the chosen myth. However, having a complete understanding and knowledge of the myth being interpreted contributes to the artistic value of the work and to a greater appreciation of both the work and the myth. The Getty Villa offers an amazing and beautiful collection of art centered on Classical and Roman myth. Identifying and examining four works of art done in different medium, along with the myths from which they are taken will contribute to a greater appreciation and richer understanding of the artistic value of said works. These works of art are the Lansdowne Hercules, the statues of Orpheus and the Sirens, a fresco of Dionysus and Ariadne, and the statue of Hermaphrodite. The Lansdowne Hercules is a Roman marble sculptor of about 125 CE. It is magnificent to see. It depicts the hero in white marble as young, handsome, muscular, and nude with no beard

Victorio 2 holding a club in his right hand leaning on his shoulder, while his left hand drops to his side holding the skin of a lion. The lions face and mane are very detailed making it look almost like a costume waiting to be put on. The statue stands in the heroic pose, left foot in front of the right one, with an expression full of pride. (See figure 1) According to the place card, this one statue inspired oil tycoon J. Paul Getty to build a museum to house his collection of Classical and Roman art. It was his prized possession. It was discovered in 1790 near the villa of the Roman emperor Hadrian (ruled A. D. 117-138) at Tivoli, Italy (place card). It was purchased in 1792 by the Marques of Lansdowne and remained in his home in London until his sculptors were sold at auctions. J. Paul Getty bought the sculptor in 1951 to add to his collection. In it of itself the statue is impressive to see, but knowing the myth that it is taken from enhances the appreciation of the work on art. The marble statue is a depiction of the first of the twelve labors of Hercules: the killing of the Nemean Lion. The myth is told by Apollodrous in his work Library: Book Two. Hera makes Hercules goes insane and angry to the point that he kills his wife and children. When he comes back from his insane state he realizes what he has done and goes to Delphi to consult the oracles about redeeming himself. He needed to be purified, she told him, and only penance could do that. She bade him go to hid cousin Eurystheus, King of Mycenae and submit to his demands (Hamilton 231). Eurystheus comes up with twelve labors that the hero must complete, the statue depicting the first one. Hercules was to kill the Lion that had been terrorizing Nemean. The myth tells of how no arrows would harm this lion, so Hercules followed it to its cave with club in hand, as depicted in the statue, and saw that the cave had to entrances. He covered one escaped and went in the other. Upon seeing the lion he jumped on it and strangled it with his bear hands. He then returned with its skin to Mycenae. But why only the skin, as depicted in the statue? The myth tells of how Hercules arrives at the home of a day worker named Molorchus

Victorio 3 and told him that he would return in thirty days to sacrifice the lion to Zeus or if he died he asked him to sacrifice him to Zeus. Hercules returned and they both sacrificed to Zeus, taking the skin back to Mycenae. In depicting Hercules first labor in this marble statue the artist highlights Hercules standing as the greatest hero in the Classical and Roman Tradition. The next work of art are three statues placed together to depict a scene from the myth of Jason and the Golden Fleece. It is of the poet Orpheus and the Sirens. (see figure 2) The statue of Orpheus is placed in the middle of the display in a sitting position playing his lute. He is sitting in a chair with his feet on top of a small pedestal. He is draped with a cloth with his right shoulder and chest exposed. He is bald and beardless. To each of his side stands a Siren, to his right stand a Siren in a dress with her right hand over her midsection and her left hand holding her chin as in contemplation of Orpheus, to his left stands a shorter Siren with her left hand over her breast and her right hand extended as if she is singing or was signing and suddenly stopped. Both of the Sirens have the legs of a bird. The Sirens were depicted as bird-women who lured sailors to their death. They have the body of a woman but the legs of a bird. According to the place card, the statues are made or terracotta and pigment, made in Taras in Southern Italy around 300-350 B.C. This work depicts a scene from Apollonius Rhodiuss work Argonautica, which tells the story of Jason quest with the Argonauts for the Golden Fleece. Upon reaching the island of Anthemoessa, where the clear voice Sirens daughters of Achelous, used to beguile with their sweet songs whoever cast anchor there, and then destroy him, the sailors became enchanted by the Sirens until Orpheus, son of Oeagrus, stringing in his hands his Bistonian lyre, rung forth the hasty snatch of a rippling melody so that their ears might be filled with the sound of his twanging; and the lyre overcame the maidens' voice. And the west wind and the sounding wave

Victorio 4 rushing astern bore the ship on; and the Sirens kept uttering their ceaseless song (Argonautica II. 895-921). Orpheus saved the voyage and his companions from a sure death thanks to his lyre. His lyre became the symbol and mark that identified Orpheus. It is interesting to note that the work of art is from Southern Italy were Orpheus was very much celebrated and where a cult to his worship was founded. These statues give a visual representation of this myth, something almost like when a work of fiction is made into a movie, it bring to life what the person hearing the myth has imagined. At the Getty Villa there is a whole room dedicated to the god Dionysus and Greek drama. In this marvelous collection there is a beautiful fresco depiction of the god Dionysus and Ariadne. This ceiling fragment named Bacchus and Ariadne is Roman and dated 1-75 A.D. It is made of plaster and pigment. (See figure 3) According to the place card, These fragments of domestic paintings evoke the thematic arrangement of an ancient Roman room. In the center of the room there would be on the ceiling this fresco of Bacchus and his consort and to either side there would be other depictions of his companions a maenad and a satyr along with other objects related to the worship of Bacchus. Bacchus is identified in the fresco by the wreath of vines upon his head. Ariadne is holding on to him almost as if she is being carried or whisked at his side with one hand in the air and he offering more drink to her. Being the god of wine drunken sexual frenzy are associated with his cult and worshipped. Ariadne is part of the story of Theseus and Minotaur, as read in class in Hamiltons Mythology. She was the daughter of the King of Crete, who helped Theseus escape the labyrinth in exchanged for him to marry her and take her back to Athens. What happens on the way to Athens various according to the different myths. Upon arriving to the island of Naxos, Ariadnes fate changes. In one myth she is killed by the goddess

Victorio 5 Artemis, in another myth Theseus abandons her, and in another myth she kills herself when she realizes Theseus has left her. The artist of this fresco decided to depict the myth in which she is abandoned on the island and decides to kill herself but is saved by Dionysus. When he sees her beauty he falls in love with her and makes her his wife, placing a crown on her head (Theoi: Ariadne). In the fresco the artist shows Ariadne with the crown on her head. This would be an appropriate symbol to have in a Roman home. This scene is symbolic of marriage and love. The last piece of art is the marble statue of Hermaphrodite. (By far my favorite! See figure 4) It is a statue done in white marble that is part of a special exhibition called Aphrodite and the Gods of Love. It is a marvelous collection that shows the various manifestations of Aphrodite in various cultures, along with the other minor gods associated with her various myths. The statue is named Sleeping Hermaphrodite. It was conceived in the late Hellenistic period but now known only through several Roman copies done in 2nd century A.D. (Aphrodite 128). One of these copies is housed at the Louvre in Paris. It is marble statue of a sleeping nude that plays a trick on the viewer. When first entering the room the viewer sees a sleeping woman lying on her side, her nude back side exposed to the viewer, lying with her head turned towards the viewer. As the viewer walks around the statue admiring her beauty, he or she is surprised when he or she arrives to the other side to discover that the statue has breasts and with its left leg a little lifted it also has a penis exposed between its legs. The exhibition catalog describes it best: The composition plays on the seductive invitation of the long, sinuous curve of a womans back, which draws the viewer in to explore and then be startled by the revelation of male genitalia on the other side. Whether the ancient artists were merely exploring a witty conceit, or whether they were expressing a deeper truth about gender and identity, is another matter. (Aphrodite 129).

Victorio 6 Ovid tells the myth of Hermaphrodite in his Metamorphoses: book four. Hermaphroditos was the son of Aphrodite and Hermes. It is interesting to note that even in his name, the name of both the god and goddess are combined. Ovid describes him as being very beautiful. He was raised by the naiads in the caves of Mount Ida until at age fifteen he decided to leave the mount and explore the world. He discovered a pool near Caria with water so clear he could see all the way to the bottom. This was the home of the nymph Salmacis. When she saw him looking into her pool she fell in love with him, but he rejected her various times until she pretended to give up and walk away. She hid and waited until he stripped down naked and jumped in the water, at this point Salmacis knew she had him. She jumped in the water caught up to him and wrapped herself around him, even though he tried to fighter off. Ovid describes the scene in a tragic/comedic tone: The boy held out like a hero, refusing the nymph the / delights / that she craved for. Salmacias squeezed still harder, then / pinning the whole / of her body against him, she clung there and cried: You / may fight as you will, / you wretch, but you shant escape me. Gods, I pray you, / decree / that the day never comes when the two of us here shall be / riven asunder! (368-374). Salmaciass prayer was answered and her and Hermaphroditos were merged into one, the body of a women and the genitalia of a male. He became Hermaphrodite. Hermaphrodite became a symbol for the duality of gender, the male and female in every individual. In the myth Hermaphrodite curses the pool of water and from that day on any male that went into the pool of water would walk out without genitals. This statue continues to play with the viewers ideas of gender and sexuality. It achieves/enhances the power of the myth. Examining myth through art enriches and creates depth in these myths. It contributes to the understanding and interpretation of these stories. It makes the viewer appreciate the language of myth and experience the myths visually. My overall impression of the Getty Villa was

Victorio 7 amazing. I truly was left speechless. It made me enjoy mythology more and it made me want to keep exploring the world of mythology. I really enjoyed this assignment.

Victorio 8 Work Cited Apollodorous. The Library: Book Two. Trans. J. G. Frazer. Theio Greek Mythology Website. Arron Atsma. 2010. Web. http://www.theoi.com/Text/Apollodorus2.html Atsma, Arron. The Theio Project: Greek Mythology. Pub. 2000-2011. Web <http://www.theoi.com/> Hamilton, Edith. Mythology. New York: Grand Central Publ. 1942. Print Ovid. Metamorphoses. Trans. David Raeburn. New York: Penguin, 2004. Print Kondoleon, Christine, and Phoebe C. Segal. Eds. Aphrodite and the Gods of Love. Boston: MFA Publ. 2011. Print Rhodius, Apollonius. Argonautica. Trans. R.C. Seaton. Harvard University Press, Cambridge MA, 1912 electronic edition. Ed. Douglas B. Killings. January 1997. Online Medieval and Classical Library. Web. <http://omacl.org/Argonautica/>

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Figure 4 These images are replicas of the statue at the Getty Villa. I used these because they did not allow any photography of any type in the exhibition.