Apollo

Primary associations with Apollo and Artemis when together are their duality of gods over the sun (Apollo) and the moon (Artemis). Due to that I painted the masks gold and silver respectively, and included that same color in the sparkle mesh for the eyes. The mesh gives just a slight glimmer which helps show case how just a little off from an average human the Greek gods are depicted. The top with out trim helps leave it open to the sky.

The gold and silver trim on both of them gives them a sense of a pair that was made together instead of two things that just happen to look similar. They each have unique aspects, for Apollo I made a hyacinth near the mouth to represent his most famous lover and for Artemis I purposefully left that area blank as she is a maiden goddess. Apollo got a sun in the center of the fore head while Artemis got a crescent moon. They both have a tool of their trade, with a bow and arrow for Artemis and a lyre for Apollo, however to help show that they are different beings they are in opposite positions.

Apollo is a god with many tragic love stories where most of his lovers get turned into plants. To showcase this two of his symbols on the mask are of his lovers turned into plants. I already talked about Hyacinthus, but Daphne was another being he pursued. This one wasn’t requited but to remember her he made a wreath of the laurel leaves from the tree to symbolise his unrequited love and to always remember her. I put this at the temple of the mask because it’s often a place we gesture to when talking about memory.