Odüsszeusz és a szirének

Sir Edward John Poynter (1836–1919): The Cave of the Storm Nymphs (A viharnimfák barlangja); 1902, olaj, vászon, 146 x 110 cm

Though technically masterful, Poynter was a strictly academic Neo-classical artist. Invariably, his great Royal Academy exhibition successes were mainly reconstructions of events or situations set in either mythology or ancient history, attempts to give an accurate & detailed visual account of the appearance of the Ancient World and its lore.

The Cave of the Storm Nymphs, in a vividly portrayed visual reconstruction of classical mythology, descriptively renders for us the fabled cave of Homer’s Sea Sirens, three dangerous women, portrayed as seductresses, who lived on an island, surrounded by deadly cliffs and rocks. Mariners who sailed nearby were compelled by the Sirens' enchantingly beautiful music and ravishing voices to shipwreck on the rocky coast. In Poynter’s rendering, we see a storm tossed ship about to crash upon the Island’s rocks; One of the nude Sirens is playing her golden stringed, tortoise-shell lyre, singing her deadly song, while the other two Sirens, also seductively naked, are obviously rejoicing in the impending destruction of the foundering ship, expecting to add to their cave’s golden treasure. The original painting, completed by Edward John Poynter, in 1903, is currently housed in a private collection.

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