“Orpheus and Eurydice”

The Meaning

An ancient Greek tale tells of the love between Orpheus and his wife Eurydice. One day, while walking in a field, Eurydice is dismayed to find she is being pursued by the rustic god, Aristaeus.

As she runs to get away from him, she is bitten by a snake and dies. Eurydice is then drawn into the Underworld. In his grief and desperation,Orpheo pleads with Hades and Persephone, the caretakers of the Underworld, to allow him to seek and retrieve Eurydice his eternal love. Through the mystical charm and power of his songs of love and the grief over his loss, he persuades Cerebus to let him pass and bring Eurydice out. However, Hades warns him, Orpheo must not look back at his wife until she is fully outside of the Underworld entrance or she will be drawn back never to be retrieved again. Orpheo experiences many obstacles as he descends to where he finally reunites with Eurydice. They ascend together toward the open, but when Orpheo, outside the entrance, forgets the rule and turns to look at her before Eurydice is fully outside, she disappears back into the Underworld.

The top right of the painting is the goddess Aphrodite, who represents their eternal love. Orpheo can be seen on the skirt of Eurydice on his journey to find her.

Description

– “Orpheus and Euridice”, 48″ x 48″
– Oil/Canvas
– 2004