OIL PAINTINGS BY GENRE - Mythological Art
Mythology in Art can well be observed in the early centuries in Greek sculptures, but the earliest examples of Mithological paintings emerged through the Renaissance period.The great Renaissance masters added a new dimension to Greek mythology. Among the best-known subjects of Italian artists are Botticelli's Birth of Venus” , the Ledas of Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, and Raphael's Galatea.”
During the 18th century, the French painter Francois Boucher also responded to the charms of Aphrodite, and depicted her in his work The Triumph of Venus. The style in which Boucher painted was dubbed Rococo. Rococo is light, playful, and a bit frivolous style. Another artist who paid tribute to Mythological Art was the French painter J. A. D. Ingres. He did so in a manner that was much more classical than Boucher's version.
One example of this trend involves the artist Adolphe Bouguereau. Bouguereau was probably the one who worked most vigorosly in this genre and created absolutely stunning Mythological oil paintings, but no one is accusing him of being terribly original in representing various mythological scenes.
Bouguereau also celebrated humanity's culture and literature in his paintings as seen in his mythological scenes of nymphs, cupids, and angels, and his scenes from literature, legend and the Bible.
Hans Makart
Sinnbild des frohlichen Lebensgenusses [Symbol of the Merry Life], 1884; Part I
Hans Makart
Sinnbild des Frohlichen Lebensgenusses [Symbol of the Merry Life], 1884; Part II
Browse Artists Alphabetically by Name