Artwork
Ulysses and Polyphemus
Ulysses and Polyphemus is an ink print by the Baroque artist John Baptist Jackson. It dates from 1740 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:in image, at bottom right: J. 9
About this work
Overview
Created in 1740, Ulysses and Polyphemus is a chiaroscuro woodcut executed in yellow and black on laid paper. The British printmaker John Baptist Jackson produced the image while working in Paris and Venice, employing the medium to translate an imagined scene from classical mythology into a stark, tonal composition.
Subject & Meaning
The print depicts a blind figure seated on a rocky outcrop, grasping a staff, while a group of travelers ascends a slope, bearing a bundled load. The juxtaposition of the solitary, sightless man with the struggling party suggests themes of vulnerability and collective effort, evoking the tension inherent in the mythic encounter between Ulysses and the Cyclops Polyphemus.
Technique & Style
Jackson applied the chiaroscuro method, carving separate blocks for black and yellow pigments and overprinting them to achieve pronounced light‑dark contrasts. Heavy embossing accentuates the texture of rock and foliage, while the layered inks produce a three‑dimensional effect that heightens the dramatic chiaroscuro lighting across the scene.
History & Provenance
Active in the eighteenth‑century print market, Jackson specialized in reproducing oil paintings as woodcuts, experimenting with color range and surface relief. Ulysses and Polyphemus reflects his ambition to expand the chiaroscuro tradition, and the work remains documented in several European collections that acquired his prints during the period.
Context
The print belongs to a broader European fascination with classical subjects during the Enlightenment, when artists frequently revisited Homeric narratives. Jackson’s choice of a mythic episode aligns with contemporary tastes for dramatic, morally charged scenes rendered through innovative print techniques that could reach a wider audience than original paintings.
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Artist & collection
Artist
John Baptist Jackson (1701–1780) was a British artist, a woodcut printmaker of the eighteenth century.
![The Marriage at Cana [left plate], by John Baptist Jackson](https://artifactworldgallery.com/img/john-baptist-jackson--the-marriage-at-cana-left-plate--22bae83d46cc40b5-w320.webp)
