Showing posts with label Swan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Swan. Show all posts

01 Painting, Contemporary Interpretations of Olympian deities, Esther Sarto's Leda & the Swan, with footnotes #32

Esther Sarto
Leda & the Swan, c. 2023
Watercolour, gouache & acrylic medium on watercolour paper. 
43 x 53 cm.
Private collection

Leda and the Swan is a story and subject in art from Greek mythology in which the god Zeus, in the form of a swan, seduces and has sex with Leda. According to later Greek mythology, Leda bore Helen and Polydeuces, children of Zeus, while at the same time bearing Castor and Clytemnestra, children of her husband Tyndareus, the King of Sparta. According to many versions of the story, Zeus took the form of a swan and had sexual intercourse with Leda on the same night she slept with her husband King Tyndareus. In some versions, she laid two eggs from which the children hatched. In other versions, Helen is a daughter of Nemesis, the goddess who personified the disaster that awaited those suffering from the pride of Hubris.
Especially in art, the degree of consent by Leda to the relationship seems to vary considerably; there are numerous depictions, for example by Leonardo da Vinci, that show Leda affectionately embracing the swan, as their children play. More on Leda and the Swan

Esther Sarto is an emerging contemporary artist, who was born in Denmark, in 1992.

Esther Sarto is best known for producing figurative work. Often seen as the contrary of abstraction, figurative art also subsists beyond just a simple representation of reality.

Sarto’s paintings depict a specific world beautified, one where all animals are equal, life feeds into itself and death is just the feeding of another creature of equal import. Sarto uses a soft palette for the harsh nature of her subject matter — the predator and prey are rendered as parallel versions, the meat and egg the same as the mother and child. More on Ester Sarto



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01 Paintings, Olympian deities, by the Old Masters, with footnotes # 25

Gillis Coignet, (1542 – 1599)
Leda and the Swan
Oil on oak panel
96.2 x 126 cm.; 37 3/4  x 49 1/2  in.
Private collection

Leda, in Greek legend, usually believed to be the daughter of Thestius, king of Aetolia, and wife of Tyndareus, king of Lacedaemon. She was also believed to have been the mother (by Zeus, who had approached and seduced her in the form of a swan) of the other twin, Pollux, and of Helen, both of whom hatched from eggs. Variant legends gave divine parentage to both the twins and possibly also to Clytemnestra, with all three of them having hatched from the eggs of Leda, while yet other legends say that Leda bore the twins to her mortal husband, Tyndareus. Still other variants say that Leda may have hatched out Helen from an egg laid by the goddess Nemesis, who was similarly approached by Zeus in the form of a swan.The divine swan’s encounter with Leda was a subject depicted by both ancient Greek and Italian Renaissance artists; Leonardo da Vinci undertook a painting (now lost) of the theme, and Correggio’s Leda (c. 1530s) is a well-known treatment of the subject. More Leda and The Swan

Gillis Coignet, Congnet or Quiniet (c. 1542 – 1599) was a Flemish Renaissance painter, who was strongly influenced by the Italian style. He painted historical and mythological subjects of an easel size, but was more successful in landscapes, in candlelight subjects, and moonlight. He was a Lutheran, which probably influenced his moves from Antwerp to Amsterdam and then Hamburg. He spent most of the 1560s in Italy. More on Gillis Coignet



Please visit my other blogs: Art CollectorMythologyMarine Art, and The Canals of Venice

Images are copyright of their respective owners, assignees or others. Some Images may be subject to copyright

I don't own any of these images - credit is always given when due unless it is unknown to me. if I post your images without your permission, please tell me.

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02 carvings Of Olympian deities in classical Greek and Roman religion, Sculpture, #8

Jean-Jacques Feuchère, 1807 - 1852
Leda and the Swan
Silvered bronze and ormolu group 
17 x 22 cm; 6 2/3 by 8 2/3 in
Private Collection

Leda, in Greek legend, usually believed to be the daughter of Thestius, king of Aetolia, and wife of Tyndareus, king of Lacedaemon. She was also believed to have been the mother (by Zeus, who had approached and seduced her in the form of a swan) of the other twin, Pollux, and of Helen, both of whom hatched from eggs. Variant legends gave divine parentage to both the twins and possibly also to Clytemnestra, with all three of them having hatched from the eggs of Leda, while yet other legends say that Leda bore the twins to her mortal husband, Tyndareus. Still other variants say that Leda may have hatched out Helen from an egg laid by the goddess Nemesis, who was similarly approached by Zeus in the form of a swan.The divine swan’s encounter with Leda was a subject depicted by both ancient Greek and Italian Renaissance artists; Leonardo da Vinci undertook a painting (now lost) of the theme, and Correggio’s Leda (c. 1530s) is a well-known treatment of the subject. More Leda and The Swan

Jean-Jacques Feuchère (24 August 1807 – 26 July 1852) was a French sculptor. Son of a chiseler, Feuchère began working for goldsmiths. He was a pupil of Jean-Pierre Cortot and Jules Ramey, professors at the School of Fine Arts of Paris. In 1848, he participated in the competition for the sculpted figure of the French Republic, launched by the provisional government. The jury retained his project and he was commissioned, in 1849 to create The Constitution. It was completed in 1852 and was inaugurated on the Place du Palais-Bourbon in 1854 under the name of La Loi. One of the most famous works of Jean-Jacques Feuchère is his Satan (circa 1833, above) drawing his inspiration from black romanticism. More Jean-Jacques Feuchère

Victor Paillard, (1805-1886), after Germain Pilon (1540-1590)
The Three Graces of the Heart of Henry II monument
Silvered bronze; on a white marble plinth and gilt bronze 
High. (total) 67 cm; height (overall) 26 4/5 in.
Private Collection

In Greek mythology, a Charis or Grace is one of three or more minor goddesses of charm, beauty, nature, human creativity, and fertility, together known as the Charites or Graces. The usual list, from youngest to oldest is Aglaea ("Splendor"), Euphrosyne ("Mirth"), and Thalia ("Good Cheer"). In Roman mythology they were known as the Gratiae, the "Graces". In some variants, Charis was one of the Graces and was not the singular form of their name.

The Charites were usually considered the daughters of Zeus and Eurynome, though they were also said to be daughters of Dionysus and Aphrodite or of Helios and the naiad Aegle. Other possible names of their mother by Zeus are Eurydome, Eurymedousa, and Euanthe. Homer wrote that they were part of the retinue of Aphrodite. The Charites were also associated with the Greek underworld and the Eleusinian Mysteries.

The river Cephissus near Delphi was sacred to them. More Three Graces (aka the Charities)

Victor Paillard, born on November 14 , 1805 and died in Paris in 1886 , was a bronze sculptor and sculptor French. His artistic talents were noticed by the Count de Guzmán, who sent him to perfect in Paris.

After training as a carver, he was a pupil of Jean-François Denière and collaborator of Ferdinand Barbedienne . Quickly recognized as one of the best skilled bronze workers of his time, he created in 1830 a house of art objects and furniture which employed up to a hundred people in the middle of the xixth  century. He receives many official orders, especially during the decoration of the hotel of the Minister of Foreign Affairs at the Quai d'Orsay in Paris.

Exhibiting in France and abroad, he was appointed jury member of the Exposition Universelle of 1855 in Paris.

Victor Paillard worked for cabinet maker Alexandre-Georges Fourdinois, large Russian families, Balzac, Prince de Galliera, Abel Laurent, Detouche, A. Squoy, Albert, etc.

As an officer of the Legion of Honor, and officer of the Iron Crown in Austria, he was appointed adviser and mayor of Paris 3 th  district in 1874. More on Victor Paillard








Please visit my other blogs: Art CollectorMythologyMarine ArtPortrait of a Lady, The OrientalistArt of the Nude and The Canals of VeniceAnd visit my Boards on Pinterest

Images are copyright of their respective owners, assignees or others. Some Images may be subject to copyright

I don't own any of these images - credit is always given when due unless it is unknown to me. if I post your images without your permission, please tell me.

I do not sell art, art prints, framed posters or reproductions. Ads are shown only to compensate the hosting expenses.

If you enjoyed this post, please share with friends and family.

Thank you for visiting my blog and also for liking its posts and pages.

Please note that the content of this post primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online.