Perseus Releasing Andromeda III (after Frederic Leighton), 2018-19

oil, alkyd resin and linseed oil on canvas

40 x 38 x 2 inches / 101.5 x 96.5 x 5 cm

$7,800.

Perseus and Andromeda - a brief history:

As a narrative Perseus and Andromeda has been popular in the arts since ancient times; it is one of several Greek mythologies of the hero's rescue of an intended victim in an archaic sacred marriage, giving rise to the princess and dragon motif. In the Renaissance, Neo-classical, Romantic and Pre-Raphaelite eras, interest revived particularly in the original story, as did intrigue in many other Greek and Roman mythologies.

In Greek mythology, Andromeda was the daughter of Cepheus and Cassiopeia, king and queen of the North African kingdom of Aethiopia. Her mother Cassiopeia boasted that her daughter was more beautiful than the Nereids, the nymph-daughters of the sea god Nereus and often seen accompanying Poseidon. To punish the queen for her arrogance, Poseidon, brother to Zeus and god of the sea, sent a sea monster named Cetus to ravage the coast of Aethiopia including the kingdom of this vain queen. A desperate Cepheus consulted the Oracle of Apollo, who announced that no respite would be found until the king sacrificed his daughter, Andromeda, to the monster. The king relented, stripped Andromeda naked, and chained her to a rock on the coast to appease Cetus.

Perseus, returning from having slain the Gorgon Medusa, happened upon the chained Andromeda. He approached Cetus while invisible (for he was wearing Hades's helm), and killed the sea monster. He set Andromeda free, and married her despite her previous arranged betrothal to her uncle Phineus. At the wedding a quarrel took place between the rivals and Phineus was turned to stone by the sight of the Gorgon's head.

Perseus and Andromeda had many children, their descendants eventually ruling most of Mycenae and include Hercules—whose father Zeus is also the father of his grandfather Perseus. After Andromeda's death Athena placed her among the constellations in the northern sky, near Perseus, Cepheus and Cassiopeia.

 Why did I choose this theme and particular painting?

Frederic Leighton was a British painter and sculptor of enormous talent working throughout the 19th century who identified with the Pre-Raphaelites. His Gothic inspired painting of Perseus Releasing Andromeda, 1891, is a dynamic, romantic and exquisite example of the finest academic painting of the 19th century. Even though the painting could be considered conservative and traditional when compared to what the Impressionists were doing at the same time, I find the refinement of the painting absolutely transitory.

Choosing paintings to appropriate for this body of work is instinctive and intuitive. I single out a painting initially first for its compelling artistry, then delve into its premise. The paintings, from various art history movements and time periods, all describe narratives I feel need revising and retelling. Challenging, to say the least, are the stereotyped sexual identities, justifications for intolerance, racism, prejudice and convoluted social structures, focus on and rationale for incest, infidelity, retribution, retaliation, revenge, vindication, war… and I could go on.

There is an irony in my contradictory responses to investigating these paintings, ranging from elation to rage. I am thrilled while dissecting the technical aspects of these paintings, awed by sheer brilliance in elevated mark making but utterly troubled by their inferred allegories. How can something so revelatory in terms of aesthetic genius and awareness that transports me to sublime levels of comprehension, insight and open-mindedness be so rife with injustice, violence and hatred? What am I left to do? I embrace these paintings and their narratives, and then I slowly assuage them of their drama, tragedy and misaligned legends.      

 —Lawrence Fodor