The ancient mythological god Dionysus has a unique role in the history of art. The imagery is complex and it evolves over the centuries to reflect the artistic expression of the times. We will explore the image of Dionysus through the ages beginning with early ancient pagan images and ending with contemporary interpretations. It is remarkable to see the vast number of the great artists of western art have interpreted the imagery of Dionysus.
The imagery is transcends the centuries: ancient Greek marble statues ,sculpture by Michelangelo and more recent works by MacMonnies. From ancient mosaics to paintings by Titian, Raphael, Durer, Rubens, Caravaggio, Velaquez, Delacroix, Picasso and Dali we see the enduring imagery. Painted on ancient krators,floor mosaics, Renaissance frescos and immortalized in stained glass, the lure of the legend of Dionysus continues to capture artist’s imagination.
Dionysus is one of the twelve Olympians. He was the youngest deity and the only Olympian to have a mortal mother. Fathered by Zeus and the mortal Persephone, his symbols include the grapevine, fig, ivy and thyrsus, or fennel stalk. Animal associations are the bull, serpent, leopard, and panther. In Roman mythology he takes the name Bacchus and his attibutes are essentially the same.
Hercules and Dionysus Mosaic
This mosaic shows Dionysus as the God of Wine, and illustrates his association with earthly pleasures including music, dance, theatre, sexuality and fertility. The myths of Dionysus are complex and the stories of his birth, rebirth, childhood, adolescence and associations with other gods have many symbolic associations to study.
Phiale Painter, Hermes Bringing the Infant Dionysus to Papposilenos, 440-435 BCE Musei Vaticani, Rome
This Athenian white ground krater from Vulci Italy illustrates the story of the infant Dionysus traveling with his half brother Hermes to be protected by the satyrs and nymphs in Nysa. According to legend Zeus sent the child away to protect him from the wrath of his wife Hera. The krater is thought to be the work of Phiale Painter who brought subtle detail and coloration to his work.
Praxiteles. 340 BCE, Hermes and the Infant Dionysos, Archaeological Museum Olympia
Perhaps one of the most famous representations of Dionysus is the statue attributed to the sculptor Praxitele. This sculpture of Hermes, the son of Zeus, and the infant Dionysus. Found in the Temple of Hera at Olympia, the statue was believed to have been carved around 340 BCE. The statue has the sinuous S curve, smooth modeling and idealized beauty representative of the era. There is a delicacy and warmth of emotion that sets Praxiteles work apart from earlier sculptors of the Classical era.
Kleiner, Fred S. Gardner’s Art though the Ages. Boston:Wadsworth Centage Learning 2010
Dionysus 