Those who want to see something that was not really there can turn to paintings of a certain genre. Such canvases depict fabulous creatures, heroes of legends and traditions, folklore events. In this manner, artists of the mythological genre write.
How to revive a picture
Undoubtedly, in order to reflect events that he did not see with his own eyes, the master must have excellent imagination and know the plot of the work on the basis of which he is going to create. In order for the viewer to like the picture, one must skillfully use the brush, then the images that exist in the artist’s head will come to life and turn into a waking fairy tale. Masters who can do this have become famous all over the world. Among the famous names: Botticelli, Vasnetsov, Mantegna, Cranach, Giorgione.
Origin
The mythological genre in art appeared when people ceased to believe what their ancestors told them. Works on the theme of past events became simple stories in which the existence of their heroes was in fact called into question. At that time, artists were able to give free rein to their imagination and depict on canvas the participants in ancient events as they represented them. The mythological genre in fine art flourished in a special way during the Renaissance. Moreover, in each century, different legends became subjects for creativity, since there was no shortage of them. Initially, the mythological genre assumed the image of the heroes of Ancient Greece and events related to their life. Gradually, in the 17th century, subjects appeared in the paintings, filled with special meaning, affecting aesthetic and moral problems, close to life realities. And already in the 19-20 centuries the field of activity of an artist working in such a direction as a mythological genre became especially wide. The basis for the image are Celtic, Germanic, Indian, and also Slavic myths.
Sandro Botticelli
This painter was the first to use the mythological genre to create works of art. Before him, subjects of such subjects were used for decorative jewelry. Private customers made the order, often inventing themselves what should be depicted and what semantic load it will bear. Therefore, they were understandable only to those who bought such a job. It is interesting that the master painted his paintings so that they were combined with any pieces of furniture and everyday life. Therefore, the unusual size or shape of his paintings is justified by the fact that, in combination with the subject under which they were written, everything looked quite harmonious. Among his works are known “The Birth of Venus”, “Spring”. Botticelli also used the mythological genre to paint altars. Famous works of this kind include the Annunciation of Chestello and the Madonna and Child with John the Baptist.
Andrea Mantegna
The mythological genre in the visual arts brought fame to this artist. In particular, his painting “Parnassus” was completed in this direction. Only a connoisseur of antiquity such as Mantegna could create such a canvas, filled with subtle allegories, some of which have not yet been solved. The main plot of the picture is the love of Mars and Venus. It was their figures that the artist placed in the center. This is adultery, so Mantegna considered it necessary to reflect the indignation of the deceived husband - Hephaestus. He left his room and stands at the entrance to the forge, sending curses to the couple in love. Two gods, Apollo and Mercury, contributing to the rapprochement of Mars and Venus, are also present in the picture. In addition, nine dancing muses are depicted here, which are capable of causing a volcanic eruption with their singing. But to the right of the center of the picture is Pegasus. This winged horse, according to legend, was able to stop the eruption by stamping its hoof.
Giorgione
The master painted several paintings in the mythological genre. Among them is "Sleeping Venus", which the author could not finish, as in the process of creation he fell ill with the plague and died. There is still ongoing debate about who completed the canvas. Judith is also famous. This picture is based on a biblical story. This theme was also interesting for other artists, but on the canvas of Giorgione it is depicted modest, gentle and full of self-esteem. With her foot she steps on Holofernes head. This is a negative character, but his appearance does not repel the viewer, although at that time negative characters were depicted as ugly.
Victor Vasnetsov
The creator of paintings on which beloved fairy tales came to life, represents in his works a mythological genre in painting. It is not without reason that his paintings are very popular with children. After all, they depict the heroes of all beloved and familiar from childhood works of Russian folklore. The mythological genre allows the artist to show imagination and depict on the canvas what he represents in his imagination. But Vasnetsov’s work affects the soul strings of a person so much that they find a response in every heart.
Maybe because he loved and knew how to convey the versatility of Russian nature in his works. Everyone's favorite birch trees cannot but be touched by their quiet sadness. Everything that a person sees in Vasnetsov’s paintings is familiar to him. Even fairy-tale characters are recognizable, although they could not be seen anywhere else. The master’s works do not just depict, they teach how pure feminine beauty, masculinity and heroic strength should look like. Therefore, his work is familiar to everyone. These are such paintings as “The Snow Maiden”, “Alyonushka”, “Bogatyrs”, “Ivan Tsarevich and the Gray Wolf”, “Koschey the Immortal”.
Mikhail Vrubel
The mythological genre became the basis for the work of the equally famous painter Mikhail Vrubel. Everyone knows his painting “The Swan Princess”, based on the tales of Pushkin. Although the image is completely mythological, in fact, Vrubel portrayed his wife in a stage costume. She sang in the opera, the scenery for which was also painted by her husband. The colors used by the master fill the image with tenderness and lightness. The author tried to convey the moment when the bird turns into a beautiful princess. He quite succeeded. Until now, the magical effect of his paintings makes many people become fans of his work.
The mythological genre is interesting, awakens the imagination not only of the artist, but also of the viewer. And most importantly - there are many sources for inspiration, so the scope for creativity is endless.