Ariadne
ca. 1831–35
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
17 1/8 x 19 3/8 in. (43.5 x 49.2 cm)
Classification
Painting
Culture
American
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Samuel P. Avery, 1897
Accession Number
97.29.2
Tags
Art Historical Context
Nestled in The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Wing, *Ariadne* (ca. 1831–35) is a captivating on canvas by American artists John Vanderlyn and Brown Durand. Measuring a intimate 17⅛ × 19⅜ inches, this work depicts the mythological figure Ariadne, the Cretan princess famed for aiding Theseus against the Minotaur, here rendered as a serene female nude. The classical subject evokes her abandonment on the island of Naxos a motif popular in European art that these artists adapted to the American canvas. Painted during the early 19th century, *Ariadne* reflects the Neoclassical influences permeating A...
About the Artist
Asher Brown Durand|John Vanderlyn · 1796–1886
Was a principal member of the Hudson River School. American artist; associated with the Hudson River School of landscape painting. Comment on works: Portraits