1800
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Polyhymnia, Muse of Eloquence; Erato, Muse of Lyrical Poetry; Apollo, God of Light, Eloquence, Poetry and the Fine Arts with Urania, Muse of Astronomy; Calliope, Muse of Epic Poetry; Clio, Muse of History is a 1800 unspecified by Charles Meynier, a Neoclassicism work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
This painting shows five figures from mythology. The first woman holds a scroll and wears a golden robe. Next, a winged figure cradles a child while another woman plays a lyre. A man stands barefoot in flowing red robes, holding a lyre too. The fourth woman holds a scroll and stands on a rock. The last figure, also winged, sits with a book. Notice how the figures look like they’re stepping out of ancient stories—some with wings, others holding musical instruments or scrolls. The artist used soft lighting to make the figures glow against darker backgrounds. Look up chiaroscuro next to see how this lighting trick works.
Charles Meynier (1763 or 1768, Paris – 1832, Paris) was a French painter of historical subjects in the late 18th and early 19th century. He was a contemporary of Antoine-Jean Gros and Jacques-Louis David.
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