In 2006, postmodern artists from Yekaterinburg and Chelyabinsk were invited to participate in the art project “Danaë. To the Memory of the Masterpiece” dedicated to the 400th anniversary of Rembrandt. Their task was to express their interpretation of the ancient plot using figurative language and means of expression of modern art. The participants strove to embody the ancient tale in painting and show their attitude to it from the 21st-century point of view.
The myth of Danaë is among the most well-known ancient Greek stories. This name was first mentioned in Homer’s “Iliad”. King Acrisius of Argos was predicted by the Oracle of Delphi to die at the hands of his grandson. The frightened king imprisoned his daughter in an underground copper chamber. Zeus, that was flying over it, was captivated by Danaë’s beauty and entered her chamber in the form of golden rain leading to the birth of Perseus.
The episode describing the visit to the chamber by the Olympian god became the basis for most of the stories about Danaë. Dozens, if not hundreds of artists used this image in their works. Among those who dedicated their paintings to Danae were the famous masters Titian, Klimt, Tintoretto, Picasso, Rembrandt, and others.
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn never gave the name to this work. Until the first half of the 20th century, art critics argued about the character depicted in the masterpiece, whether it was Delilah, Rachel, an ordinary city dweller, or someone else entirely. The historian Erwin Panofsky was the first to suggest that the golden light above the female figure is Zeus, which means that the woman depicted in the painting must be Danaë. This opinion stroke root and became the official version, and the name stuck.
“Danaë” by Viktor Reutov is distinguished by a comprehensible and minimalistic structure. The choice of each of the few details of this painting is premeditated. The canvas is characterized by a lack of depth and an extremely restrained color palette limited to black, white, gray, and ocher-gold colors. All this constitutes the minimalistic choice of expressive means that is characteristic of most of the artist’s paintings.
The light-colored elements — a nude female figure, silvery draperies, and a paper angel against a black background of the sky slightly speckled with golden stars — all of them contribute to an atmosphere of mystery and downplay the sensual nature of the ancient myth. The artist’s unique interpretation transforms the hidden longing of the ancient Greek heroine into almost sacred anticipation of “Annunciation”.
The myth of Danaë is among the most well-known ancient Greek stories. This name was first mentioned in Homer’s “Iliad”. King Acrisius of Argos was predicted by the Oracle of Delphi to die at the hands of his grandson. The frightened king imprisoned his daughter in an underground copper chamber. Zeus, that was flying over it, was captivated by Danaë’s beauty and entered her chamber in the form of golden rain leading to the birth of Perseus.
The episode describing the visit to the chamber by the Olympian god became the basis for most of the stories about Danaë. Dozens, if not hundreds of artists used this image in their works. Among those who dedicated their paintings to Danae were the famous masters Titian, Klimt, Tintoretto, Picasso, Rembrandt, and others.
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn never gave the name to this work. Until the first half of the 20th century, art critics argued about the character depicted in the masterpiece, whether it was Delilah, Rachel, an ordinary city dweller, or someone else entirely. The historian Erwin Panofsky was the first to suggest that the golden light above the female figure is Zeus, which means that the woman depicted in the painting must be Danaë. This opinion stroke root and became the official version, and the name stuck.
“Danaë” by Viktor Reutov is distinguished by a comprehensible and minimalistic structure. The choice of each of the few details of this painting is premeditated. The canvas is characterized by a lack of depth and an extremely restrained color palette limited to black, white, gray, and ocher-gold colors. All this constitutes the minimalistic choice of expressive means that is characteristic of most of the artist’s paintings.
The light-colored elements — a nude female figure, silvery draperies, and a paper angel against a black background of the sky slightly speckled with golden stars — all of them contribute to an atmosphere of mystery and downplay the sensual nature of the ancient myth. The artist’s unique interpretation transforms the hidden longing of the ancient Greek heroine into almost sacred anticipation of “Annunciation”.
