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Essay 1: Context Essay
Many people have heard of King Midas, the ancient king of Phrygia who turned everything he touched to gold, but many do not know any other stories about him. In book 11 of the Metamorphoses, Ovid writes two different stories about Midas. The first story is the story most people have heard, it is the famous story of Midas and the golden touch,
but the second story is less known and even more interesting. The second tale is the story of Midas and the ass’s ears or “Midas Never Learns” and it is the story analyzed here. Back in the first tale, Bacchus, the god of wine, granted Midas’ wish to have everything he touches turn to gold, but this seemingly amazing wish was really a curse. Midas was unable to eat anything without it turning to solid gold and he even accidentally turned his daughter to gold. He eventually decided he had to get rid of the gift and was told by the forgiving Bacchus to wash off the golden touch at the source of a stream in the Lydian hills, ending the first tale.
In the second story, Midas is older and has renounced all wealth as it had been a curse to him earlier in life. He is a poor traveler wandering through the Anatolian countryside when he stumbles upon a divine musical contest between Pan, the god of the wild, and Apollo, the god of music and medicine. Presiding over the contest is the wise mountain god Timolus who is given the final say in the matter of who plays the better music. Pan plays earthy music with his pan pipes while Apollo plays heavenly music with his lyre. Timolus fairly picks Apollo as the winner of the contest but Midas disagrees with the judge’s decision and speaks out in favor of Pan. Apollo, enraged by Midas’ foolish judgment, punishes him by turning his ears into those of an ass. Midas is forced to live the rest of his life wearing a turban to cover his ears but his barber still had to cut his hair and see his ears. Unable to keep the secret to himself, the barber dug a hole and yelled the secret about Midas’ ears into the hole before covering it back up. Later, a patch of reeds grew on top of where the hole had been and when the wind blew one could hear the reeds whisper “Midas has ass’s ears.” Ovid’s story of Midas and his ears is a very common story throughout ancient cultures. A similar story about a Korean king and his donkey ears exist in Korean folklore, while the Irish have a tale following the same general storyline with a king and his horse’s ears, and in Serbian folklore a king has the ears of a goat. Throughout the world, there are tales of a prestigious king being cursed with the ears of a wild animal but Ovid’s book is still one of the oldest examples, showing the influence that the Metamorphoses have had on cultures around the globe.
Essay 2: Artistic Analysis Essay
The Flemish Baroque period was a phase of artistic enlightenment in what is now Flanders, Belgium around the 17th century that produced renowned painters such as Rubens, Van Dyck, and Jordaens. During this period, painting classical mythological events became fashionable and one of the more popular subjects to paint turned out to be stories from Ovid’s Metamorphoses. Therefore, the story of “The Musical Contest Between Apollo and Pan”, better known as “Midas Never Learns” in the Metamorphoses, became a favored subject of interpretation for various Flemish artists. One of the most well-known depictions of the myth from this period is the painting Apollo as Victor Over Pan by Jacob Jordaens from around 1637. The painting features the four key characters from the myth (Apollo, Pan, Midas, and Timolus) as they take place in a divine musical contest. Jordaens’ painting has a lot of similarities to Ovid’s text but he humanizes his characters in a way that Ovid does not. Although Pan is described as a satyr, Jordaens’ take on the god has him with human legs instead of those of a goat. Jacob Jordaens also makes Timolus seem much more human since he does not describe the earthy mountain god as having acorns on his temples, or with sky blue hair, or as coming out of the trees of the mountain as Ovid does. Instead, Jordaens only includes his oaken wreath upon his head and places the mountain god in a simple and refined dark blue toga. This painting perhaps shows the humanity of these godly or beastly figures, an interesting notion considering the painting was made to be hung in the hunting lodge of the King of Spain; a place where humans would hunt wild beasts.
Another popular painting of the story is The Judgement of Midas by Jan van den Hoecke from around 1640. The painting was originally thought to have been painted by Peter Paul Rubens but later analysis points towards van den Hoecke instead (National Gallery of Art). Nonetheless, the painting is still a brilliant example of the Flemish Baroque style Rubens pioneered. The painting is similar to that of Jordaens’ with characters placed in the same order across the painting and all their clothing appears identical in color and style to their counterparts in Apollo as Victor Over Pan. The painting also similarly uses light as Jordaens’ does but uses it to an even greater extent in an attempt to copy Ovid’s text. Van den Hoecke’s painting has two clearly distinct sides. On the left side of the piece, Apollo shines with his golden halo and his extremely light complexion in front of the sky, while on the right, Pan and Midas sit in front of Pan’s dark and gloomy cave. The contrast between the two sides helps one to see whose side the artist is taking. Van den Hoecke uses light, a symbol usually associated with positive imagery, for Apollo to show that he believes the bright and divine god is by far the better musician. His opinion is also shared by Ovid who writes positively about Apollo as well when he vividly describes Apollo’s amazing outfit and writes that by the very first note he plays, Apollo had already won the contest.
A third popular Flemish painting is also called The Judgement of Midas by Jacob Jordaens and studio. While the painting is signed by Joardaens, it is believed that the work was really created by a student in Jordaens’ studio. The painting depicts the musical contest between Apollo and Pan just like the other two paintings, with Timolus in the center pointing to Apollo as victor while Midas stands on Pan’s side looking visibly upset. The painting is a lot like Ovid’s story with the main plot being transferred into the painting quite well but it includes many other unnamed characters that Ovid does not depict. The characters’ outfits also fall short of what Ovid wrote in the Metamorphoses. While Apollo is depicted by Ovid in a laurel crown and wearing a cloak of purple, he is shown in the painting as wearing a gold cloak and he is missing his signature headpiece. Timolus is also wearing fairly elegant and normal clothes compared to what a nature god would most typically wear, and Midas, who was said to have abandoned all wealth by Ovid, is seen wearing an elegant blue suit and a golden crown that clearly show his status. Overall, Flemish painters’ fascination into the story of Midas and his decision produced some truly fascinating pieces of art that both convey Ovid’s story and stray from it in unique and interesting ways.
Many people have heard of King Midas, the ancient king of Phrygia who turned everything he touched to gold, but many do not know any other stories about him. In book 11 of the Metamorphoses, Ovid writes two different stories about Midas. The first story is the story most people have heard, it is the famous story of Midas and the golden touch,
but the second story is less known and even more interesting. The second tale is the story of Midas and the ass’s ears or “Midas Never Learns” and it is the story analyzed here. Back in the first tale, Bacchus, the god of wine, granted Midas’ wish to have everything he touches turn to gold, but this seemingly amazing wish was really a curse. Midas was unable to eat anything without it turning to solid gold and he even accidentally turned his daughter to gold. He eventually decided he had to get rid of the gift and was told by the forgiving Bacchus to wash off the golden touch at the source of a stream in the Lydian hills, ending the first tale.
In the second story, Midas is older and has renounced all wealth as it had been a curse to him earlier in life. He is a poor traveler wandering through the Anatolian countryside when he stumbles upon a divine musical contest between Pan, the god of the wild, and Apollo, the god of music and medicine. Presiding over the contest is the wise mountain god Timolus who is given the final say in the matter of who plays the better music. Pan plays earthy music with his pan pipes while Apollo plays heavenly music with his lyre. Timolus fairly picks Apollo as the winner of the contest but Midas disagrees with the judge’s decision and speaks out in favor of Pan. Apollo, enraged by Midas’ foolish judgment, punishes him by turning his ears into those of an ass. Midas is forced to live the rest of his life wearing a turban to cover his ears but his barber still had to cut his hair and see his ears. Unable to keep the secret to himself, the barber dug a hole and yelled the secret about Midas’ ears into the hole before covering it back up. Later, a patch of reeds grew on top of where the hole had been and when the wind blew one could hear the reeds whisper “Midas has ass’s ears.” Ovid’s story of Midas and his ears is a very common story throughout ancient cultures. A similar story about a Korean king and his donkey ears exist in Korean folklore, while the Irish have a tale following the same general storyline with a king and his horse’s ears, and in Serbian folklore a king has the ears of a goat. Throughout the world, there are tales of a prestigious king being cursed with the ears of a wild animal but Ovid’s book is still one of the oldest examples, showing the influence that the Metamorphoses have had on cultures around the globe.
Essay 2: Artistic Analysis Essay
The Flemish Baroque period was a phase of artistic enlightenment in what is now Flanders, Belgium around the 17th century that produced renowned painters such as Rubens, Van Dyck, and Jordaens. During this period, painting classical mythological events became fashionable and one of the more popular subjects to paint turned out to be stories from Ovid’s Metamorphoses. Therefore, the story of “The Musical Contest Between Apollo and Pan”, better known as “Midas Never Learns” in the Metamorphoses, became a favored subject of interpretation for various Flemish artists. One of the most well-known depictions of the myth from this period is the painting Apollo as Victor Over Pan by Jacob Jordaens from around 1637. The painting features the four key characters from the myth (Apollo, Pan, Midas, and Timolus) as they take place in a divine musical contest. Jordaens’ painting has a lot of similarities to Ovid’s text but he humanizes his characters in a way that Ovid does not. Although Pan is described as a satyr, Jordaens’ take on the god has him with human legs instead of those of a goat. Jacob Jordaens also makes Timolus seem much more human since he does not describe the earthy mountain god as having acorns on his temples, or with sky blue hair, or as coming out of the trees of the mountain as Ovid does. Instead, Jordaens only includes his oaken wreath upon his head and places the mountain god in a simple and refined dark blue toga. This painting perhaps shows the humanity of these godly or beastly figures, an interesting notion considering the painting was made to be hung in the hunting lodge of the King of Spain; a place where humans would hunt wild beasts.
Another popular painting of the story is The Judgement of Midas by Jan van den Hoecke from around 1640. The painting was originally thought to have been painted by Peter Paul Rubens but later analysis points towards van den Hoecke instead (National Gallery of Art). Nonetheless, the painting is still a brilliant example of the Flemish Baroque style Rubens pioneered. The painting is similar to that of Jordaens’ with characters placed in the same order across the painting and all their clothing appears identical in color and style to their counterparts in Apollo as Victor Over Pan. The painting also similarly uses light as Jordaens’ does but uses it to an even greater extent in an attempt to copy Ovid’s text. Van den Hoecke’s painting has two clearly distinct sides. On the left side of the piece, Apollo shines with his golden halo and his extremely light complexion in front of the sky, while on the right, Pan and Midas sit in front of Pan’s dark and gloomy cave. The contrast between the two sides helps one to see whose side the artist is taking. Van den Hoecke uses light, a symbol usually associated with positive imagery, for Apollo to show that he believes the bright and divine god is by far the better musician. His opinion is also shared by Ovid who writes positively about Apollo as well when he vividly describes Apollo’s amazing outfit and writes that by the very first note he plays, Apollo had already won the contest.
A third popular Flemish painting is also called The Judgement of Midas by Jacob Jordaens and studio. While the painting is signed by Joardaens, it is believed that the work was really created by a student in Jordaens’ studio. The painting depicts the musical contest between Apollo and Pan just like the other two paintings, with Timolus in the center pointing to Apollo as victor while Midas stands on Pan’s side looking visibly upset. The painting is a lot like Ovid’s story with the main plot being transferred into the painting quite well but it includes many other unnamed characters that Ovid does not depict. The characters’ outfits also fall short of what Ovid wrote in the Metamorphoses. While Apollo is depicted by Ovid in a laurel crown and wearing a cloak of purple, he is shown in the painting as wearing a gold cloak and he is missing his signature headpiece. Timolus is also wearing fairly elegant and normal clothes compared to what a nature god would most typically wear, and Midas, who was said to have abandoned all wealth by Ovid, is seen wearing an elegant blue suit and a golden crown that clearly show his status. Overall, Flemish painters’ fascination into the story of Midas and his decision produced some truly fascinating pieces of art that both convey Ovid’s story and stray from it in unique and interesting ways.