Bringing the Gods and Goddesses Down to Earth

Classical tales of Greek and Roman mythology have brought color, drama, and magic to Western art throughout its entire history and right up to the present day.

The gods and goddesses of antiquity, dwelling eternally in lofty Olympus, offer escape from the bonds of the mundane. On a deeper level, they reflect our cultural psyche in symbolic images and stories of transformation, love, battle, vengeance, and intrigue between themselves and us.

Naturally, familiarity with “the immortals” and their stories deepens enjoyment of the work that depicts it. And for centuries, artists could rely on their patrons’ knowledge of the myths. But you don’t need a degree in Classics to get swept up in the action; as images alone they touch on universal human themes and psychological truisms.

A painting of the god of War (Mars in Roman, Ares in Greek) could reference the age-old flare-up of aggression simmering in humanity, suggesting all battles past and to come. By analogy, it could comment on current politics and social conditions, referring to the ever-present threat of conflict.

War was intertwined with love; Mars was married to Venus the goddess of beauty (Aphrodite to the Greeks), who was also the goddess of love and fertility. Her helper, Eros, became the Roman god Amor (Latin for “love”) or Cupid (meaning “desire”). Love – the bonds between us – can be used to justify war; it can also soften aggression, reminding us of what’s truly important. Human nature links them both.

Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, “Jupiter and Thetis,” (1811), in the Musée Granet, Aix-en-Provence, France. Thetis asks the King of the Gods to protect her son, the heroic Achilles, during the Trojan War. “She sank to the ground beside him, put her left arm round his knees, raised her right hand to touch his chin, and so made her petition.” – Homer (The Iliad)

In the story of Cupid and Psyche, love conquers all, but only if there is mediation, determination, and harmony. Bouguereau painted two versions, one in which the star-crossed lovers Cupid and Psyche ascend to heavenly bliss, and another in which the two are only innocent children.

One contemporary painter, Julianne Jonker (b. 1957), has taken up the theme quite explicitly. Jonker combines many different disciplines and styles with her own creativity, including allusions to mythology and to Bouguereau.

Jonker’s series, Gods and Goddesses, began during the pandemic, when the artist was deep in introspection considering how to bridge the disconnect and invisibility people experienced during that prolonged period of isolation. Within that collection is her reinterpretation of Bouguereau’s “Cupid and Psyche” (1889), seen through a new lens of inclusion.

Julianne Jonker, “Cupid and Psyche,” 2022, cold wax and oil on raised birch panel, 36 x 24 in.

“The original painting had two little pink cherubs, probably taken from French models since Bouguereau was French,” the artist explains. “My granddaughters and other little people of color rarely see themselves depicted as cherubs, princesses, heroes, or in this case a butterfly/moth. It’s so important for all children to see their own reflection in the real world around them, as well as in art and media.”

Jonker continues, “I created the little moth/cherub out of my imagination. She represents many ethnicities of brown-skinned little girls. The moth’s symbolic meaning is resurrection and transformation. A moth represents tremendous change, but it also seeks the light. Thus, the spiritual meaning is to trust the changes that are happening, and that freedom and liberation are right around the corner.” (Jonker’s remarks were originally published in Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine<<This article was originally published in Fine Art Connoisseur magazine (subscribe here). Connect with the artist here: www.juliannejonker.com).

When classical painting serves contemporary themes, it lives up to its timeless efficacy.

Bouguereau also painted portraits of children in which he sought to convey humility, beauty, and innocence intertwined.

Detail of William-Adolphe Bouguereau, “La Gouter (The Snack),” 1895

Another contemporary painter walking in Bouguereau’s footsteps, Johnnie Liliedahl demonstrates the traditional process of painting the figure in steps from start to finish.