Paintings and drawings on Persea and Andromeda myth. 15th Issue

 

 A MEXICO

 

EL HOMBRE AL DESNUDO

DIMENSIONES DE LA MASCULINIDAD A PARTIR DE 1800

 

The exhibition “Masculin/Masculin” travels to Mexico at the MUNAL. The painting “San Sebastian at the Saint Martin waterlock” is there, from March 2^nd to June 12^th, 2014.

 

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Some history:

 

Persea is the son of Danae, daughter of Acrisios, king of Argos. This king having learnt by an oracle that his grandson would kill him, places his daughter in a iron tower, which does not prevent Zeus to seduce her by means of a rain of gold dust. Persea comes to the world in a complete secrecy. But his yells inform his grand father, and he is locked together with his mother in a coffer that is thrown in the sea, which carry them in the island of Seriphos. They are both saved by a sailor, who takes care of the little boy as if he were his own son. As he became adult, Persea was asked by Polyclides, king of the island, to kill Medusa the Gorgona, whose hair is composed of serpents, and whose look paralyses anyone she looks at. Victorious thanks to the magical weapons given by Hermes and Athena, he travels on his way back through the land of Ethiopia where he meets the princess Andromeda.

 

 Daughter of the king Cephea, she has to support the selfishness of her mother Cassiopea who claims that her daughter, or herself according to some versions, is as beautiful as the Nereids. This entails the wrath of Poseidon who as a revenge initiate a flood and sends a sea monster which destroys men and cattle. The oracle of Ammon says that all this will go on as long as the king will not hand over his daughter to the monster.

Made fast all naked on a rock to be swallowed by the monster, she is delivered by Persea thanks to his magical sword. Persea spouses Andromeda.

 

Danae, mother of Persea, wished since quite a time, to come back home and try to come to terms with her father. As the king Acrisios had gone away to participate to the Games of Larissa, Persea decided to be there as well in order to try to soothe the wrath of the king towards his daughter. But as he was throwing the disco, this sport equipment went off his hand and flew towards the crowd, killing an old man. This old man was in fact Acrisios, which entailed that the oracle was accomplished ! Full of pain after this event, Persea refused to sit on the throne of Argos, and exchanged it against the throne of Tirynth in the Argolide country. With Andromeda, he had one son and six daughters.

After her death, Andromeda was placed by Athena among the constellations, near Persea and Cassiopea.

 

 

 

 “ Persea plays piccolo before delivering her, Andromeda” 1937, oil on canvas (130 x 96 cm)), 

private ownership.©adagp

 

 

 

 

 

 Preliminary study for “Persea and Andromeda”, 1935 (30 x 26 cm)

 

 

 

 

Starting study for “Persea plays  piccolo tune before delivering her, Andromeda”, 1935, wood panel, (30 x26 cm) privately owned. ©adagp

 

 

 

“Having decided to be a painter of History, I do not expect anymore to rely on orders of the Prince, i.e. official State bodies, who would like to transmit to his subjects an even representation of the world, a servant illustration of religious faith and ideologies. I represents History as we live it, and I transmit images, probably excessive in all respects. I leave to the observer to determine if he recognizes himself, if I have succeeded to open his eyes, if he answers positively to my offer.”

 

 

 

 

“ No no Persea shall not deliver Andromeda” 1965, oil on canvas (190 x 190 cm) privately owned.  ©adagp

 

 

 

 

Preliminary studies for Persea and Andromeda, 1964. ©adagp

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Preliminary studies for Persea and Andromeda, 1964. ©adagp

 

There is also a cubist version dating 1944, but unfortunately, I detain no coloured version.

 

 

 

“Andromeda’s myth” 1944, oil on canvas, private ownership. ©adagp

 

 

To see more:

 

Some enlarged details of “Persea plays piccolo before delivering her, Andromeda” Please click on following images

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Some poetry:

 

A POEM OF JOSE-MARIADE HEREDIA IN HIS NOVEL " LES TROPHEES " (Original French version)

Andromède au monstre

La Vierge Céphéenne, hélas ! encor vivante,
Liée, échevelée, au roc des noirs îlots,
Se lamente en tordant avec de vains sanglots
Sa chair royale où court un frisson d'épouvante.

L'Océan monstrueux que la tempête évente
Crache à ses pieds glacés l'âcre bave des flots,
Et partout elle voit, à travers ses cils clos,
Bâiller la gueule glauque, innombrable et mouvante.

Tel qu'un éclat de foudre en un ciel sans éclair,
Tout à coup, retentit un hennissement clair.
Ses yeux s'ouvrent. L'horreur les emplit, et l'extase ;

Car elle a vu, d'un vol vertigineux et sûr,
Se cabrant sous le poids du fils de Zeus, Pégase
Allonger sur la mer sa grande ombre d'azur.

 

 

 

 

A little song:

 

 

Un clair de lune à Maubeuge (Moonlight in Maubeuge)

 

To know more:

 

Some classical representations of Persea and Andromeda  (blog art magique)

 

 

The painting “Persea plays piccolo before delivering her, Andromeda” of 1937 has been shown :

 

-         1943, Salon des Tuileries, Tokyo palace, from June 12^th to July 11^th, Paris.

-         1944, Independents exhibition, Paris modern art museum, from March 3^rd to April 2^nd, Paris

-         1944, Salon des Tuileries, Paris modern art museum, from June 10^th to July 12^th, Paris.

-         1947, “Anecdotic painting”, Gallery of the study and Representation society, from the 3^rd to 25^th of January, Lille

-         1977, private exhibition, Jean Briance Gallery, from October 5^th to November 12^th, Paris.

-         1979, Retrospective, Painting museum, from May 16^th to August 20^th;Grenoble.

-         1989, Retrospective, La Piscine museum, from April 29^th to June 11^th, Roubaix.

-         1989, Retrospective, The Holly cross museum, from July 3^rd to September 4^th, Poitiers.

-         1989, Retrospective, Georges Pompidou Museum, from September 12^th to October 22^nd, Paris.

 

The painting “ Persea plays piccolo before delivering her, Andromeda” of 1937 has been the subject of following publications:

 

-         Jean-Marc Campagne, Alfred Courmes, Prospecteur de mirages entre ciel et chair, photographs by Robert Doisneau, Jacqueline Hyde, Marc Vaux, Eric Losfeld publisher, 1973 ; Page 66.

 

     - Vitalie Andriveau – Gilles Bernard, Alfred COURMES, foreword by Michel Onfray,

        Cherche midi editor, page 77.

 

The painting « No, no Persea shall not deliver Andromeda » of 1965 has been shown:

 

-         1965, XXIst Salon de Mai, from 3^rd to 13^th of May, Paris.

-         1967, XXIIIrd Salon de Mai at Havana, in July and August, Cuba.

-         1972, “Twelve years of contemporary art in France” (Pompidou exhibition)

                National Galeries of Grand Palais, from May 7^th to September 18^th, Paris.

-         1977, “Day to day mythology 2”; Palais de Tokyo, from April 28^th to June 5^th, Paris.

-         1977, private exhibition, Jean Briance Gallery, from October 6^th to November 12^th, Paris.

-         1979, Retrospective, Painting museum, from May 16^th to August 20^th, Grenoble.

-         1989, Retrospective, Saint Roch Hospital museum, from October 21^st to December 17^th, Issoudun.

 

 

The painting “No, no Persea shall not deliver Andromeda” of 1965 was the subject of following publications:

 

-         Jean-Marc Campagne, Alfred COURMES, Prospecteur de mirages netre ciel et chair,        photographs by Robert Doisneau, Jacqueline Hyde, Marc Vaux, Eric Losfeld publisher, 1973, pages 47-48 and 125.

-         Vitalie Andriveau – Gilles Bernard, Alfred COURMES, foreword by Michel Onfray, cherche midi editor, 2003, page 135.