Gods And Heavens
Ganymede was said to be the most beautiful person alive. Now a person with such a dazzling attribute on his heroic resume does not stay out of the attention of the most powerful gods for long. And like it or not, attention is what he got in the form of Jupiter literally sweeping him off his feet. Such a god need not waste time with traditional courting, you see.
Jupiter had set his sights on the young shepherd tending to his flock in the fields of Troy from way up on high on Mount Olympus. Bored with his concubines, Jupiter boldly swept down in the form of an eagle and grasped Ganymede in his mighty talons to bring him back to be his companion and cup-bearer to the gods.
The young hero quickly accepted his new life and become the best cup-bearer to the gods and Jupiter's own favorite friend. In fact he was loved so dearly the mighty god would fling his eagle to the heavens to become the constellation Aquila (eagle), and the boy himself to forever be Aquarius (cup-bearer).
He would be immortalized through these constellations, and remains as well by the side of his god as the largest moon of Jupiter. Jupiter has many moons, but Ganymede is its largest one. The largest moon in the solar system in fact, being even larger than Mercury and Pluto.
From Wailing Babies To Willing Boys
The theme of Ganymede, probably more so than Bacchus, has been depicted in many different ways. Like Bacchus, being an ancient Greek story, his portrayals date way back to the first century or so A.C.E. One of the earliest is this mosaic found in Greece, showing the proud Zeus with wings spread full clinging to the also proud Ganymede, seemingly more than happy to go along for the ride. This mosaic is more a symbol of the story rather than a snapshot caught in time.
The later we go the more interesting the variety of portrayals. The manner in which the story unfolds is told in different ways depending on the artist's intentions. Often called "The Rape of Ganymede" we sometimes see a somewhat cruel and realistic depiction of an abduction leading to unwanted sexual advances. In Rembrandt's Rape of Ganymede the eroticism is stripped bare bones down to a fat baby screaming with wretched face hauled off by a dark and evil bird.
On the total opposite end of the spectrum we have Correggio's depiction of Rape of Ganymede, which seems a misnomer judging by the pleasant look on Ganymede's face as he is swept away, clinging lovingly the same as he would on land or 10,000 feet above. This painting is sometimes called "The Abduction of Ganymede" similar to other versions called the "Kidnapping of Ganymede," signifying possibly it's not rape if he consents.
The traditional title of the classic story however is Rape of Ganymede. Between the Correggio and Rembrandt lie the remainder of the styles usually showing the Ganymede not quite sure if he's into it or not, sometimes seeming dragged unwilling from his daily life, and other times probably wondering if his daily life was boring anyway. How often does one get the affection of a god? Wait till his friends hear about this.
Modern Ganymedes
Any beer drinkers recognize the picture at the top of the post? If you guessed it's the original symbol for Budweiser you just earned 10 points. This is a drawing done by an F. Kirchbach around the turn of the 20th century meant to be an advertisement for Anheuser Busch celebrating Budweiser's success. The drawing was kept as the symbol for the beer and appeared as is on the bottle for several years. It changed from here to there, and it seems the poor abductee was eventually released from Zeus's talons to drop to his death because now a days there remains only the eagle.
I did my own version of the Ganymede theme for several reasons. One I like to practice with classical themes and styles. Secondly, I knew Ganymede would be naked and I was fine with that because as I've said before naked people are much easier to paint ;-). And finally I just liked the story of Ganymede hearing it first from Isaac Asimov, believe it or not, when he talks about the moons of Jupiter in "Amazing Universe."
In my I like to think it ranks somewhere near the middle (not in quality of course, I'm not that egotistical) between Rembrandt and Correggio. In my opinion, no matter who is kidnapping, the abducted will not be quite so willing and will probably be a bit scared. Let's not forget Zeus comes in the form of a giant hideous bird.
I think Ganymede's face looking down shows his shyness, and the one arm locking onto the other shows a blocked off body language. Yet one hand is free, thus showing not a total aversion. He looks away from the eagle but knows exactly what is going on (playing a little hard to get, are we?). Zeus, although clearly having the upper hand subordinates his head to that of Ganymede, and wraps his wings as if to ask his approval.
I like putting my spin to things like this, and making things my own unique version. That's the fun of painting, you put your own voice out there, depicting any subject in the way you see fit, not always worrying about what the viewer will think- they have their own opinions as well. It's always fun to experiment, too. I like to throw tidbits of symbolism and innuendos in most of paintings. This one being an emotionally charged scene calls for it naturally. Notice the eagle's beak pointing in a certain direction. Afterall sex is the ulterior motive of many social gestures.
It's not as sexually charged as say Bathers, another of mine with not quite so subtle a message. But interpret my paintings in your own way as you interpret any painting. I hope to do many more classical themes, and I can only hope my skill increases as I go. I look forward to the more ambitious versions of popular classical subjects, and I can only continue to practice until my skills reach that level.
Whether I get good at painting or not, who's to say?
One thing is for sure, I will try to paint the best pictures I can and continue practicing, as sure as Ganymede orbits around his Jupiter.
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