Odysseus and the Sirens-John William Waterhouse 1891
Odysseus And the Sirens-Leon Belly 1867
Both of these paintings depict the scene where Odysseus meets the Sirens, who attempt to seduce him. Both painters use feminine faces but Waterhouse has his Sirens in a bird’s body, which could symbolize freedom and liberation. Had Odysseus not told his crew to bind him tightly to the mast, he would have been liberated from this journey home, and freed from Poseidon’s wrath. Belly uses female bodies to further empathize their power of seduction. Also, he has Odysseus staring into the murky water that is of different color than Waterhouse’s, which is a clear blue. The orientation between the Sirens and Odysseus is different as well.In the first painting, the Sirens are aloft, looking down and surrounding Odysseus and his crew like vultures. In the second painting, the Sirens are looking up at Odysseus and calling to him. In the first painting, Odysseus is in the center of the ship. In the second, he is at the bow of the ship. These two different placements of Odysseus also shows the differences both painters and how they relate Odysseus to the Sirens. Also, the clothing Odysseus wears in each painting is different, with the first painting having him wearing white, and the second one in stark orange red colors. All the Sirens in both paintings with the exception of one is are looking at Odysseus or in the direction of Odysseus. Waterhouse puts one Siren perched on the ledge of the ship seducing a crew-member.That particular Siren is also a different shade than the other Sirens in Waterhouse’s painting. The significance of this is that the Siren is trying to seduce the crew-member to release Odysseus from the mast. This would be a deviation from the original story line, but a unique deviance.
I enjoyed reading your analysis and comparison of the two siren drawings.
It’s odd looking at the first image. If I remember correctly, the sirens were located on top of rocks- I definitely did not imagine them to be vulture-like creatures. Instead, I imagined something along the lines of mermaids because honestly, vultures with human heads are not exactly seductive.
The second image is more in line of what I had envisioned for the sirens after reading that scene. One major difference was Odysseus’s position. In the book, he is tied up on the mast and here in the image, he looks as though he is just loosely holding the mast- not very safe. Lastly, the difference in Odysseus’s attire is a pretty significant thing I would say. In the second picture, Odysseus’s red cloak draws your eye’s attention right away, unlike his white tunic in the first picture.
I thought that your analysis on Odyssey’s clothing color was interesting. I noticed the difference in color when I initially looked at your pieces, but did not interpret it in the same way you did. The position in which Odysseus has been painted to look in your second piece also seems to show how captivated he, and maybe others as well, was while listening to the Sirens. He looks as though he is ready to take one step further off the boat to get closer to them, so I think it shows the kind of power that the Sirens have.
Your analysis of Odysseus on the boat was very knowledgeable. I enjoyed the emphasis you placed on the sirens and their direction all of them are looking at Odysseus and only at him. The center piece for both artists were Odysseus who was painted in a similar way but had difference’s in their clothing. I felt you could have had a stronger structure of the paragraph. Placed two separate paragraphs describing each scene instead of going back and forth. Overall, this analysis got to the point and explained the scene.
I thought your analysis of the pictures were good but i think you could’ve talked more about how in the first picture, the Sirens were vultures and how that might show that the Sirens are evil and want to use force and fear to get Odysseus to come. While in the second picture the Sirens look like naked women and Odysseus is not tied tightly. Possibly showing that the Sirens are not forcing Odysseus to come to them but are seducing him to come on his own will.
Your analysis caught up the point well. However, there are some odds I found. In the first picture, Sirens supposed to be came up from the water, and at the same time they used to be in the top of the rocks I think. Also in the second picture, Odysseus asked his men to tie up himself in the mast but only his wrist is tied. I see that Odysseus wanted to listen Sirens saying but I don’t think he would go that close because he might get seduced in that position.
Images are interested and impressive, but I think first image is different in the story, because Siren was on the rock, she didn’t fly to the sky and just singing to temps somebody. but I agree with your analysis that the artist of first image want to symbolize Siren’s freedom.
Hi Harry,
I’m especially struck with your analysis of the relative positioning of the sirens. Waterhouse’s loom over Odysseus–and their resemblance to birds of prey makes it seem as if they are about to swoop in and attack. Belly’s, by contrast, look up, as if supplicating, pleading. I wonder if these visual choices reflect different aspects of the Sirens’ seduction: Belly emphasizes their appeal; Waterhouse emphasizes their danger to listeners.
Solid work!
Prof Kolb