1809
oil
canvas
From the collection of Statens Museum for Kunst
Fotis sees her Lover Lucius Transformed into an Ass. Motif from Apeleius' The Golden Ass is a 1809 oil by Nicolai Abildgaard, held at Statens Museum for Kunst.
This painting depicts a woman in a white dress, her right arm raised above her head, standing next to a man kneeling on the ground. The man is holding a cup in his right hand and appears to have the head of a donkey. The woman's dress is flowing behind her, and the man's body is muscular. In the background, there is a dark, shadowy area with some indistinct objects. The scene is set in a dimly lit room with a single light source, which creates deep shadows and highlights the figures' contours. The woman's pose suggests movement, while the man's kneeling position conveys a sense of submission or transformation. The painting's use of chiaroscuro creates a dramatic effect, emphasizing the contrast between light and dark. To learn more about this technique, look up chiaroscuro.
Nicolai Abraham Abildgaard (11 September 1743 – 4 June 1809) was a Danish neoclassical and royal history painter, sculptor, architect, and professor of painting, mythology, and anatomy at the New Royal Danish Academy of Art in Copenhagen, Denmark.
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