Greek Myth and Western Art: The Presence of the Past

Greek myth has played an unparalleled role in the formation of Western visual traditions, for which it has provided a nearly inexhaustible source of forms, symbols and narratives. This richly illustrated book examines the legacy of Greek mythology in Western art from the classical era to the present. It reveals the range and variety with which individual Greek myths, motifs and characters have been treated throughout the history of the visual arts in the West. Tracing the emergence, survival and transformation of key mythological figures and motifs from ancient Greece through the modern era, it explores the enduring importance of such myths for artists and viewers in their own time and over the millennia that followed.