The Three Graces...
11:41 a.m.Certain subjects in the History of Art appear quite frequently and it's possible to compare how diverse is the way artists view them. One of these subjects is that of the Three Graces.
According to Greek Mythology, the Three Graces were goddesses, daughters of Zeus and Hera: Euphrosyne (Joy), Aglaea (Beauty) and Thalia (fertility). The Graces presided over banquets, dances and all sorts of cheerful activities or celebrations. They were responsible for giving Gods and mortals happiness, but also elocuency, wisdom and ease. It was believed that they also doted men with the talent to become true artists.
Roman mosaic of the Three Graces, found in Barcelona.
Archeological Museum of Catalunya - Barcelona
The Graces were young and very beautiful but, most of all, modest, so they were never shown looking straight to the public. They are always dancing (this being the reason for their untidy hair) and it's precisely in that exact moment where they take hands to start their dance that artists have almost always chosen to represent them.
The Spring (detail), by Sandro Botticelli (1478)
Technique: temple on wood / Measures: 203 x 314 cm
Uffizi Gallery - Florence
In 1630, Rubens rescues the subject to depict a particular moment in his life: his recent marriage to Helena Fourment. The masterpiece communicates joy and sensuality... It's the artist's ode to love.
The Three Graces, by Peter Paul Rubens (1630-1635)
Technique: oil on wood / Measures: 220.5 x 182 cm
Museo del Prado - Madrid
Although many might ignore this myth, or might have forgotten it, the diverse ways it has appeared in Art History have erased its archeological stiffness to breathe in a new modern spirituality to it. In 1968, Nicolás García Uriburu (Buenos Aires, 1937) received the Grand Prize at the Salón Nacional de Artes Plásticas with a painting that has a Pop aesthetic.
The Three Graces, by Nicolás García Uriburu (1967)
Technique: oil and acrylic on canvas / Measures: 200 cm x 180 cm - MNBA
Contemporary Art offers the public the chance to make personal interpretations of the works of an artist. Thus we can argue that Bill Viola's video "Three Women", which has been in exhibition these past days in Buenos Aires, is in fact a 21st-Century-staging of The Three Graces. It can be confirmed if we analyse this statement by the artist: “My works close a time-circle with the old masters, but with the use of state-of-the-art technology."
Technique: color high-definition video on plasma display mounted on wall / Performers: Anika, Cornelia and Helena Ballent.
Keep reading... "Diccionario de la mitología mundial", from Editorial Edaf (2004) - Spain.
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