Perseus and Andromeda
By Frederic Leighton
By Frederic Leighton
Depicted in this oil painting by Frederic Leighton is heroic Perseus saving Andromeda from the sea monster. Leighton, an English artist, lived in the mid to late 1800s (this piece of art was finished in 1891, five years before his death) and drew scenes inspired from the Bible, historical, and classical art. While this painting is similar to Ovid's version of the story in some ways, there are some key differences. One example of this is how Perseus in pictured on horseback. In Ovid’s version, Perseus uses winged sandals to lift himself into the air, while here he is clearly being carried by a white, winged horse. This is most likely a reference to Pegasus, who was instantly created from blood when Perseus decapitated Medusa, which Ovid mentions later in book four. Also, notice Perseus’s weapon in the painting. While Ovid clearly depicts Perseus as holding a curved sword, here he is shooting the sea monster with a bow, and there is an arrow sticking out of the monster’s back. Directly behind Perseus is the sun and combined with the bow, this could be a reference to Apollo. Ovid also does something similar to this in his version, using the word Phoebo (meaning Apollo, who is associated with the sun, bow, harp, music, and more) to refer to the sun rather than a word such as sol (which has a direct translation to the sun). Leighton also makes good use of light and shading to represent different aspects of the characters. Andromeda is covered almost completely by the shadow of the sea monster, which is dark and can represent an immediate danger. However, Andromeda is also semi-naked wearing white clothes with untouched, clean skin, which clearly demonstrates innocence and purity, as she was being punished for a crime her mother did. Notice how Andromeda is in chains, her body is contorted away from the monster, and her eyes are closed, demonstrating fear and helplessness. The colors used to portray Perseus are very similar to Andromeda, though he is pictured in a completely different way. He too is wearing white and on a white horse, representing purity and innocence, though his expressions are much different. His bow is outstretched and the light behind him is portraying him in almost a godly way, which is quite the opposite of Andromeda’s scared, helpless character. The sea monster, however, is painted much different than both of these characters. It is painted using darker colors, jagged edges, and a fire-breathing mouth with sharp teeth. All of these artistic choices perfectly portray the sea monster as being evil and deadly, just as Ovid intended to do. Overall, while this painting did clearly depict this scene from Ovid’s Metamorphosis, it also had some differences which added to the meaning of the art.