Danae by Rembrandt
So, the other day when I was watching Immortals, I did a little reading on the myth of Theseus. As it turns out his mother had relations with the god Poseidon, and that's how Theseus got to be the bad ass he was. It reminded me of one of my favourite paintings, Danae by Rembrandt, which depicts a booty call that Zeus made to the sweet Danae.
The thing I love about this painting is that you don't really get it if you don't know the story. See Danae's father saw an oracle, who told him that his daughter's son would kill him one day. Her father thought he was being tricky, and banished Danae to this tower. What her father didn't know is that Danae's lover was Zeus, and no tower was going to keep him from her. One night he came to Danae in a shower of gold, and thus she became pregnant. So, when you look a the painting, you see this girl reaching out to a golden light, who just happens to be Zeus. Love it!!
So, the other day when I was watching Immortals, I did a little reading on the myth of Theseus. As it turns out his mother had relations with the god Poseidon, and that's how Theseus got to be the bad ass he was. It reminded me of one of my favourite paintings, Danae by Rembrandt, which depicts a booty call that Zeus made to the sweet Danae.
The thing I love about this painting is that you don't really get it if you don't know the story. See Danae's father saw an oracle, who told him that his daughter's son would kill him one day. Her father thought he was being tricky, and banished Danae to this tower. What her father didn't know is that Danae's lover was Zeus, and no tower was going to keep him from her. One night he came to Danae in a shower of gold, and thus she became pregnant. So, when you look a the painting, you see this girl reaching out to a golden light, who just happens to be Zeus. Love it!!
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