Persephone
This sketch is my version of Dante Gabriel Rosetti's "Prosperine" In Greek mythology she was daughter of Ceres, goddess of spring and the harvest, and queen of the underworld, for she was kidnapped by Hades, god of the dead and upon eating a pomegranite unwittingly doomed herself to live with the dead. Her kidnapping drove her bereft mother to despair, thereby causing the season of winter -of death and grief. Only in the spring she is allowed to come to the surface to be with her mother - it is the happiness of the goddess Ceres that causes the flowers to bloom and all life to revive. In Rosetti's painting she 's holding the fruit, displaying that solitary, fateful bite with a look of innocence on her face - I left out the pomegranite, and i'm sorry i did because it tells so much of the story, and it's such a classic image, but at the time i was focusing on studying the human face.
Submitted by Anonymous at 1:52 AM
5 Comments:
I really like how you did the hair, it appears very flowing and frames the face well. Well done. A side comment though is that Ceres is the Roman goddess, Demeter the Greek.
Wow. It speaks volumes to your ability that the instant I saw this image, before I even read your post, the first thing I thought was "Rossetti." You've done a wonderful job capturing the essence of the subject, pomegranate or no.
I've always loved this artist's work, in no small part because of the unique, classic beauty of his subjects. Something about their facial structure--the cheekbones, the eyes, the luxuriant hair, make them recognizable, and memorable. It's a great choice for studies like this, and I think you've definitely done the work justice. Thank you for sharing!
Ah, yes, thankyou for the Greek vs Roman correction - that makes sense. So, then is Prosperine the Roman name, and Persephone the Greek name of the daughter?
Summer - that's so cool that you recognized the Rosetti vibe! And you're so right about how the women in his pictures have that same luscious hair, large eyes, strong jaw-line. His sister, Christina Rosetti, actually wrote a poem about this - i don't have it on hand, but i'll find it for you. Awesome, i'm so excited that you like Rosetti! The Pre-Raphaelite artists are all great inspirations to me.
I've found the work of Rossetti to be unsettlingly alien while at the same time undeniably classically beautiful. His figures always seem a bit overly graceful to this strange uber-gazelle extent that puts me slightly off kilter. Your representation here achieves the same effect, and I applaud you for it.
I... love... the hair.
And... as far as the names go... when in doubt, go Greek.
Yes Anna, you have the names of the daughter right. Proserpine is the Roman name, and Persephone the Greek.
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