Day of Danaë

The mythological figure and (supposed) whore are strongly associated throughout the critical scholarship dating from the 17th through the 19th centuries, where the myth of Danaë appears in literature and art often as a source of sexual fantasy. However, the erotic narrative is often given a cynical slant in the modern age, which tends to emphasize the link between gold coins and cash payment (i.e. tendering of services, such as with prostitution) and the sexually charged anecdote. Zeus, in the form of a "shower of gold," enters the bedchamber of Danaë (locked away for fear of suitors) and seduces her; the tale indeed lends itself easily to the notion of 'ecstasy for sale,' as Danaë's lap is opened only by the shiny, enticing promise of gold...

however, such a literal translation is often challenged and various visual depictions of the myth, artists, usually challenging the stifling atmosphere of the Victorian age or in efforts to promote sexual liberation on part of the oppressed image of woman, posit Danae as more a victim of circumstance rather than vile harlot of yore. In Rembrandt van Rijn's infamous Danaë (1636):

the "shower of gold" is not pictured; rather, Rembrandt chooses to depict Zeus in the form of a glowing, warm light - a rather ambiguous figure - instead of physical gilt coins.

Stylized and abstracted interpretations of the myth pepper the history of visual art, where mythological subjects become notably significant for the Aesthetic, Decadent, and Symbolist movements; updated, reinterpreted versions of the classics serve as inspiring opportunities for artistic exploration into themes of Love, Death, Sin, and Deception -- intangible ideas begging for symbolic translation and visual reference.

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