Sirenes - Pl. VII from the "L'Odyssee" portfolio by Andre Masson

Sirenes - Pl. VII from the LOdyssee portfolio by Andre Masson

Sirenes - Pl. VII from the "L'Odyssee" portfolio

Andre Masson

Please call us at 707-546-7352 or email artannex@aol.com to purchase this item.
Title

Sirenes - Pl. VII from the "L'Odyssee" portfolio

 
Artist

Andre Masson

  1896 - 1987 (biography)
Year
1977 /78 
Technique
etching and color aquatint 
Image Size
19 1/2 x 13 11/16" platemark 
Signature
pencil, lower right 
Edition Size
39 of 120  
Annotations
pencil editioned, lower left 
Reference
Cramer 111 
Paper
ivory Rives velin wove 
State
published 
Publisher
UNESCO World Heritage for the project to save the Acropolis 
Inventory ID
JPR116 
Price
$1,250.00 
Description

The Sirens are creatures in Greek mythology which lured sailors to their deaths by their beautiful singing of promises of wisdom and precognition. In Homer’s Odyssey, Odysseus follows the counsel of Circe and is successful in keeping himself and his crew from danger as they pass the island of the Sirens on their voyage home from the Trojan War. He instructed his crew to plug their ears with beeswax and secure him to the mast. Odysseus is lured by the Sirens and begs to be released but his crew bound him tighter. Images of Odysseus often show him bound to the mast of his ship but Masson’s interpretation places the bound Odysseus in the center of a seemingly swirling blue ocean. Sinuous white lines create three floating Sirens and a face at the top of the image suggests a crew member. From Masson’s imagery, it is difficult to imagine that Odysseus would actually triumph.

 
Please call us at 707-546-7352 or email artannex@aol.com to purchase this item.