DANAE 2017

My homage to the greek myth of Danae. Great desire is unstoppable.

Oil Color on Belgian Linen. 180 X 160 cm. Mexico City. 2017

The Greek Myth of Danae

Danae was a princess of Argos; Argos being a kingdom in the eastern segment of the Peloponnesian peninsula. Danae was the only offspring of King Acrisius and Queen Eurydice. Danae was considered amongst the most beautiful of all mortals.  With no direct male heir, Acrisius wanted to know whether his daughter would ever bear him a grandson to rule Argos. To find out what the future held, Acrisius went to an oracle. Instead of good news, though, the oracle foretold the kings own death at the hands of his grandson.

Acrisius was more worried about his own death than not having a male heir. His daughter was without a suitor and so Acrisius decided to keep it that way. Danae was shut in a tall inaccessible bronze tower. The tower could not be scaled and the only door was guarded day and night.

The story of Danae’s confinement reached the gods on Olympus. Zeus, who was always on the look-out for beautiful female mortals, decided to visit Argos to see the confined princess.  Zeus was struck by the beauty of Danae, and desired her. On arrival in Argos Zeus found that the tower had been inaccessible even to gods. Zeus though was not put off, and so transformed into a shower of gold, so that he could cascade through the roof and in this form impregnated Danae. The result of this union of human and divine was the great Greek hero Perseus.