Art Lovers discussion

"All that keeps us apart is a thin, thin line of water." - Ovid, Metamorphoses, 3.450 as translated by David Raeburn (Penguin Classics version)

This character of Greek myth appears in many artworks, after the influential depiction that Ovid portrays in Book 3 of Metamorphoses (8 A.D).

(If this is of interest, you can read an excerpt at https://www.poetryintranslation.com/P... )

I'll share various receptions of the myth below, a couple of which I'm sure will be familiar! I'm going to mainly focus on paintings, however there is a lot of sculpture, installation work (Kusama's Narcissus Garden for example) and photography out there inspired by the myth if you'd like to explore the subject further.

I'll begin in this post, however, with a couple of surviving Ancient Greek & Roman works.



Greco-Roman Pompeii Fresco C1st B.C.


Greco-Roman Daphne Mosaic C3rd A.D

Narcissus, by Caravaggio, c. 1597-99


Narcissus at the Spring, by Roos, c. 1610-38


Narcissus and Cupid, by Poussin, c.1626-29


Echo and Narcissus, by Poussin, 1627


Liriope Bringing Narcissus Before Tiresias, by Carpioni, c.1660s

Echo and Narcissus, by Lagrenee, c.1740-1805


Narcissus and Echo, by J. M. W. Turner, 1804


Narcissus, by Benczur, 1881

Echo and Narcissus, by Waterhouse, 1903


The Metamorphosis of Narcissus, by Dali, 1937


Narcissus, by Freud, 1948

I'll leave some questions to think about and discuss:

- What is your favourite artwork of the myth?

- Any recurring motifs that stand out to you across the paintings?

- Which versions do you think are the most successful, and why?

Great post Laura!

Pesonally I like the Waterhouse.
The Dali is also nice ( did you already have a look at last month of the pic of the day thread? it was all Dali)
And I like the lighting in the Carravagio.
Normally I'm a big Turner fan but this one is a bit dark and obscure, maybe you should see it in the real?

The version by Waterhouse is my favourite also - it's so poetic! I love how he's taken the original myth and made it relevant to his contemporary audience: see how the scenery depicts the English countryside, rather than the Greek scenery of the surviving mosaic.

I think the concept of the gaze seems more prominent as well.

I see what you mean about the Turner, the work can be more clearly viewed here: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/...
That being said, it's still a really dark painting, with the figure of Narcissus taking a back seat in the composition. It makes a nice contrast though to his more active presence in the other depictions.

Laura wrote: "The version by Waterhouse is my favourite also - it's so poetic! I love how he's taken the original myth and made it relevant to his contemporary audience: see how the scenery depicts the English c..."

Thanks for the link, now I could see the human figures a bit more clearly ;-) Very insignificant in the grand landscape !

We are a bit limited by Goodreads for the file size, that's why I always if possible try to post details.

I, too, like the Waterhouse the best, for some of the same reasons but also it is one of the only that portrays a half-naked woman directly across the water from him while he is obliviously gazing at himself in the pond. So telling of the myth right there in one picture.

I really like the Dali, too. If it’s metamorphosis, then the symbolism seems to thread around his picture, as in the cracked egg with the flower. It takes the whole theme into the painting but in a surrealistic view. A lot to look at, a lot to take in.

I do like the Caravaggio, too. Though it is dark, that’s just how Caravaggio is. I like the color of his trousers. And his pose as he is looking into the water.

Of course, these are the three I find most successful. As to which really were or are the most successful, I have no idea.