Apollo and Daphne
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Apollo and Daphne
Iconography refers to using customary or conventional pictures and symbols related to a subject, especially a mythological or religious theme. The Cupid’s arrow in the Apollo and Daphne is an iconography that symbolizes human desire. Golden and lead tipped arrows in Rome were used to cause people to fall in love or hate each other in Rome. Another iconography evident is the Apollo’s Laurel crown and depicts the place of the mythological origin. Apollo swore to wear leaves from the tree that Daphne transformed into because he loved her.
The use of line in the story is applied, enabling the viewer to appreciate the information and portray the dynamic and disordered movement essential to the narrative itself. Directionality is used as seen in the opposite directions of sculptured bodies and the other parts, which signify a motion. The shape of the sculpture images brings a sense of disagreement as Apollo appears to be forcing Daphne to agree on something.
The narrative context demonstrates that this myth was retold by Hellenistic and Roman authors, which means that the author remains unknown. Other artists also changed the tale into paintings and artworks later during the Roman uprising as literature became widespread. The popularity of Greek mythology expanded greatly during the Hellenistic period. Apollo and Daphne’s myth was associated with many gods of Greek, which were commonly referred to as Olympians Gods.
In the Sculpture of Apollo and Daphne, Bernini portrays a mythological drama between the poetry and music god (Apollo) and a virginal nymph-Daphne (McTwigan 2013). Probably the artist was motivated by the traditional statue Apollo Belvedere and also by the Roman Poet Ovid. The Ovid’s myth opens with a pissing fight amongst two masculine gods. Similarly, Bernini’s tale focuses on two legends- a male Apollo and a female Daphne. Apollo abuses Cupid, who, in turn, retaliates by organizing a scene of unreciprocated desire and possession. Eros fires a golden arrow into Apollo, which causes him desperately to engage in love with Daphne. Apollo implants a leaden hand to Daphne, which leads to her repulsion toward his desire. Daphne runs away from Apollo, who later pursues her till he catches her, but unfortunately, she sacrifices her boy and conforms into a Laurel tree (Avery, 2010). Apollo fails to give up even after Daphne changes into a laurel tree and promises to wear the leaves of the tree, as Ovid explains, “[He] loved her still. He placed his hand where he had hoped and felt the heart still beating… Under the bark and he embraced the branches, as if they were still limbs, and kissed the wood.” However, Daphne still resisted: “And the wood shrank from his kisses.” (McTwigan 2013). In general, the author used arcing bodies, howling faces, and billowing robes to better his carving technique and create drama and human emotion. The sculpture’s stretched muscles communicate a sense of strain between Apollo and Daphne (Avery, 2010). In particular, Bernini’s work remains to demonstrate the power of art and its importance in communicating silent issues in a specific society.
During this task, the Apollo and Daphne’s visual images helped me develop critical knowledge and adequately describe the artwork. The narrative itself passes information rhythmically and in a chronological order making it attractive to the viewer. In tackling the assignment, I found it hard, especially in attempting to relate the images and the message communicated therein. My past knowledge about mythology helped me link the assignment with the original statement on sculptures’ use.
References
Avery, Charles, and Finn David. Bernini. Thames & Hudson, 2010.
McTwigan, Michael. “Gian Lorenzo Bernini.” Ceramics Art and Perception 94 (2013): 54.