Classical Blog Exhibit

 Introduction

The portrayal of heroism was popular during the neoclassical portion of the Classical Era. Neoclassical artists captured Roman ideals of heroic acts and virtuous behavior in art. I have selected three pieces I feel examine the gravity of heroic figures. There is an expectation that heroes are self-sacrificing that continues in stories and art expressed now. Morality is so thoroughly on display in art like this as a result of the times. The Enlightenment is a major influence on Classical art, and that is present in the subject of morality examined through heroic characters. The Enlightenment was a time for questioning, learning, and realizing. Is morality what people do because they must?

Virgil reading the Aeneid to Augustus and Octavia

The piece above was done in oil by Angelica Kauffman in 1788: Virgil reading the Aeneid to Augustus and Octavia. The distraught woman the painting seems to focus on is Octavia. I closely examined the Latin text of the Aeneid when I was taking Latin in high school. The Aeneid is a significant text to Ancient Rome, and it is a majorly political one. Virgil was sponsored by Augustus to write it, and in it, Virgil associates Augustus and his family with a divine family member, Venus. He depicts Augustus as a rightful leader, one who was destined to be so (RetrospectJournal.com). Virgil reading The Aeneid to Augustus and company then does not come as a surprise. Augustus’ former name is Octavius, and Octavia is his sister. However, what causes Octavia's grief? Virgil praises Octavia’s dead son, Marcellus, in The Aeneid. He is mentioned as dying too young. He also serves as a guide to the living Aeneas in the afterlife on the portion of his journey that took him to the underworld (Christies.com). 

I see heroes displayed in this piece through Virgil, Augustus, Octavia, and the mentioned Marcellus. Present in this painting is the effects of heroism on others. Octavia is a grieving mother who collapses at the mention of her son. It is a burden she will carry for the rest of her life, and heroes are people who carry great burdens to the best of their ability. I could say Virgil’s significance to Rome makes him a hero; he stands before his hero Augustus, or as he saw it, Rome’s hero, Augustus. Marcellus is a hero who reached the end of his journey in death, and that is not an uncommon theme. 

The beauty of the details painted here astounds me. Kauffman portrayed the clothes in vivid and beautiful colors. They drape and fall in a dramatic and eye-catching way. Light enters the painting through a window in the background, and the people captured in it are reacting to each other. This piece elicits the grief of heroes.

Thetis bringing the armor to Achilles

This painting was done in oil on canvas in 1804 by Benjamin West. It is titled Thetis bringing the Armor to Achilles. Achilles is a figure that is well-known for his wrath and combat ability. He is a known hero. Achilles is said to be the son of Thetis and Peleus, and once again I present a painting that depicts heroism and a mournful mother. Similar to the one detailed previously, it includes a dead heroic figure, a living heroic figure, and a mourning woman. I would argue that all of these characters are heroes.

It interests me that West is an American artist who painted Achilles at this time. While this piece was painted after The American Revolution took place, I wonder if West was relating the anger Achilles is known for with himself or with the United States (Collections.lacma.org). The redness of Achilles’ face compliments the rage associated with him. There is darkness at the corners of this piece, centering the viewers' focus. The people displayed contrast greatly with the shadows, highlighting them.

Thetis gives armor crafted by the god Hephaestus to her son, and she gives him armor twice. The first time, he gives the armor to his friend Patroclus, who dies in battle. A passage describes Achilles calling out to his mother for help. She suggests he run away so that he might live longer. She knows that he will die if he returns to fight. His response is “Omnibus hominibus vita brevis est. Ego ipse celerem mortem non timeo.”  In simple terms, he is saying that “Life is short for all men. I do not fear a quick death” (Groton, pg 29).

As a study of heroism, this painting presents that duty remains. Achilles had stepped out of the fight and is now drawn back to it. It also depicts the heavy burden of fate on those present. Achilles is fated to die in this battle, and his mother must carry the gravity of her son’s heroics. She looks sad in the painting. I see the values of a hero in her as someone who does all that she can in a hopeless situation. She is virtuous because she still tries to protect her son from his death, and she is more virtuous still because she lets him leave. 

Andromache Mourning Hector 

This painting is Andromache Mourning Hector painted in oil in 1783 by Jacques Louis David. Building off our previous piece, Hector is a victim of Achilles’ rage. He died a humiliating death by Achilles’ hand. This painting presents the dead Hector, his wife Andromache, and their son. David’s placement of light in this piece exaggerates the mourning Andromache. Similar to the previous painting, Hector’s armor accompanies him in this painting. The heroes Achilles and Hector are painted with their armor, tying them to their statuses as warriors. Unlike Achilles in the painting above, Hector has already reached the end of his living journey, leaving others to grieve. Andromache parallels Octavia in this way. She is stuck with the weight of carrying on in her lover’s absence. She has a son to take care of. Like Thetis and Octavia, she becomes a figure of self-sacrifice that still has living to do. Themes of self-sacrifice are major in all of these paintings. It is present in a self-sacrificing hero’s journey as well as a woman’s suffering. To be a hero is to suffer and carry on. 

Bibliography

“Andromache Mourning Hector.” Andromache Mourning Hector by Jacques Louis David, https://www.thehistoryofart.org/jacques-louis-david/andromache-mourning-hector/.

Groton, Anne H., et al. Thirty-Eight Latin Stories: Designed to Accompany Wheelock's Latin. Bolchazy-Carducci, 2004, (pgs 28-29).

Kamalananthan, Kavisha. “Augustan Propaganda: Virgil and Idealism in the Aeneid .” Retrospect Journal, 24 Oct. 2021, https://retrospectjournal.com/2021/10/17/augustan-propaganda- virgil-and-idealism-in-the-aeneid/.

“Deconstructed: Ingres' Virgil Reading from the Aeneid: Christie's.” Deconstructed: Ingres' Virgil Reading from the Aeneid | Christie's, Christies, 10 Apr. 2018, https://www.christies.com/features/Deconstructed-Ingres-Virgil-reading-from-the-Aeneid-9121-1.aspx#:~:text=In%20Book%20VI%20of%20the%20Aeneid%20Marcellus%E2%80%99s%20ghost,scene%20which%20causes%20his%20grieving%20mother%20to%20faint. 

“Thetis Bringing the Armor to Achilles.” Thetis Bringing the Armor to Achilles | LACMA Collections, LACMA Collections, https://collections.lacma.org/node/171621. 

“Virgil Reading the ''Aeneid'' to Augustus and Octavia - Angelica Kauffmann.” USEUM, https://useum.org/artwork/Virgil-reading-the-Aeneid-to-Augustus-and-Octavia-Angelica-Kauffman-1788.