Metamorphosis

Metamorphosis- Unit 82

Research into Metamorphosis

08/09/15

Metamorphoses= Change/Transformation

Metamorphosis was a series of different art pieces created by Titain,  a Renaissance artist, which were based off of Ovid's Epic Poem, 'Metamorphoses', which was written in 8AD.

Titain created three paintings, 'Diana and Actaeon', 'The Death Of Actaeon', and 'Diana and Callisto'.

Diana and Actaeon: 1556-1559

This painting depicts Actaeon, who while out hunting, comes across Diana, the chaste goddess of hunting, in her secret bathing place. It contains many symbolic represtentations, sugh as the stag skull that rests atop the plinth and the skins of her former prey above Diana's head. This represents Actaeons fate.

Outraged, Diana turns Actaeon into a stag to  be eaten by his own hands.

The death of Actaeon: 1559- 1575

This piece depicts the outraged Goddess, Diana, transforming Actaeon into a stag. While the Goddess was outraged because she was found undressed, In this painting, she is still not completely covered. this could be an act of inputting an underlying message of the objectification of women.

Diana and Callisto: 1556- 1559

Callisto was the favourite of Diana. Her beauty drew in the King of Gods, Jupiter, who disguised himself as Diana to seduce her. Callisto's pregnancy was soon find out after her suspicious companions asked her to strip and bathe one day after hunting. Callisto was humiliated and then banished from Diana's chaste entourage.

'Diana and Actaeon' and 'Diana and Callisto' were painted and sent to the king of Spain in 1556 and 1559, 'The death of Actaeon', however, was never sent to the king and remained in his studio unfinished at death. Callisto was humiliated and then banished from Diana's chaste entourage.

Diana always has a cresent moon on her forehead because she is the Goddess of Hunt, Moon and Childbirth.

Ovid was Roman and yet Metamorphosis is a Greek word meaning change. The poem combines both Roman and Greek mythology.

Later, three Contemporary artists were asked to base create a piece of artwork each based off of Ttian's paintings. These artists were Chris Ofili, Conrad Shawcross and Mark Wellinger. These pieces were composed of paintings, installations and sculptures made for the Royal Opera House by the Royal Ballet.

Chris Ofili created a painting that, to me, depicts bothy Jupiter, the King of Gods and Callisto together. I feel that Ofili painted Jupiter clothes#d and Callisto naked as a represtentation of her chaste nature. However, the strange lumps on her legs may be a symbol of how we see the female body now, in terms of objectification and obscenity.

Conrad Shawcross, who is knows for his mechanical sculptures, and created an arm that had a light on the end of it. The arm moved. In the exhibit, the light was focused on a stags antler. I feel like this depicts the moment when Diana turned Actaeon into a stag in revenge for him seeing her whilst bathing.

Mark Wallinger created an installation that was set in a black box. The box had a window covered with blinds, and numerous peep holes that were strategically placed. Inside the box was a bathroom in which women, all called Diana, would go about their daily bathing.

The peepholes were placed aw3kwardly so that it was obvious that you were looking into the box.

I feel that this represents the moment that Actaeon stumbled across Diana, but also questions whether it was an accident or purposeful.