Artwork Description:
Leda and the Swan is a story and subject in art from Greek mythology in which the god Zeus, in the form of a swan, seduces or rapes Leda. According to many versions of the story, Zeus took the form of a swan and raped Leda on the same night she slept with her husband King Tyndareus. The subject of Leda and the Swan was a well-known myth through the Middle Ages, but emerged more prominently as a classicizing theme, with erotic overtones, in the Italian Renaissance. The painting depicts Leda as she grabs the red swan by the neck,a sign of possession and lust or a sexual gesture. The white color of the nightgown represents the loss of her purity. In this painting, Zeus is depicted as a red swan a symbol of rape, violence, lust. but in the bird form, he finds himself in the power of Leda which holds fast on his neck and he as the swan bits gently on her chin in a teasing kiss. The red flower symbolizes elegance and luxury and the mask is a sign of duality, the adulteress and the faithful wife.
Artwork Keywords:
Leda And The Red Swan, Zeus Seduce Leda, Erotic, Renaissance, Sexual, Teasing Kiss, Elegance, Lux, Original Painting