Henri Levy: The Death Of Orpheus

The ancient Greeks told legends and myths surrounding the gods, goddesses or heroes of their time. Those legends are always a good topic for painting; especially if they are a creation from ancient myth. Henri Levy is a French artist who painted the Death of Orpheus. Orpheus was the greatest musician of Greece. Orpheus was an amazing artist who tried to release his wife from the underworld but he was an unfortunate man and died in hands of Thracian Maenads. Gavin Hamilton, a Roman artist, painted the Death of Achilles. Achilles was an immortal half God of Greece who was also a great warrior. He had won the Troy battle but also died in it. Levy and Hamilton painted those tableaux passionately. The two pieces of arts depict the death of two …show more content…
Those cold colors give us a feeling of death. Everything is calm and somehow dark even though the artist did not use a lot of dark colors. Levy wants us to remember Orpheus as an innocent and talented artist. His enemies tore him next to the river because they could not bear his talent and passion. The artist used white to paint the pigeons (which are a symbol of peace) around him to suggest that he died unjustly and lonely while he was playing his harp, which he, although he was dead, dearly hold in his hand. Moreover, the white pigeons also represent his crimeless soul as well. In addition, Levy used white to portray Orpheus as a guiltless, bright and peaceful man who was centered with grandiose tint …show more content…
The texture of this painting shows us war and death. Achilles endures the agony of an arrow in his ankle. His face is desperate and he cannot stand on his own feet anymore. He knows he will die soon and that there is no cure. The People around Achilles appear irritated and furious. They want to get rid of the invincible man who destroyed their life and land. On the left side of the painting, one can see Paris standing there with a bow in his hand. He is pictured proud and distressed. After all, Achilles is an all-time hero. In Orpheus Death, the texture is simply death and peace. Levy used a roaring river to depict the sorrow of his death. In this painting, one can easily deduct that the artist tried to indicate death with the headless corpse next to a turbulent river and the head chopped off far away from his body. Levy shows peace with the white pigeons and Orpheus emotionless face. Furthermore, this painting is not crowded in opposite to Achilles Death. In Orpheus Death, one can see a dead Orpheus without any agony or