
By Arnold Böcklin, a Swiss symbolist painter

By William Russell Flint, a Scottish artist and illustrator
“Calypso composed herself and went to Odysseus,
Zeus’ message still ringing in her ears.
She found him sitting where the breakers rolled in.
His eyes were perpetually wet with tears now.
His life draining away in homesickness.
The nymph had long since ceased to please.
He still slept with her at night in her cavern,
An unwilling lover mated to her eager embrace.
Days he spent sitting on the rocks by the breakers,
Staring out to sea with hollow, salt-rimmed eyes.”
Both two images depict the scene of Odyssey and Calypso above. However, there are several differences between the two paintings.
Initially, the natural surroundings are different. The environment of Arnold Böcklin’s setting is barren and bleak, only puce and rugged rocks in front of the cave without any breakers. It is difficult to divide the sky from the sea on account of the same color applied to them, hazily ashen. On the contrary, the surroundings in William Russel Flint’s picture look bright and beautiful. Breakers in white roll in, “tendrils of ivy curl around the cave’s mouth”, “the glossy green vine cluster with berries”, and the sky in light blue is easy to differentiate from the sea in dark blue. The woodland in bloom in Flint’s image emanates flourishment and vigor while unfortunately, the two persons in this picture seem sorrowful and helpless. Calypso has detained Odysseus for seven years, the longing for returning home makes Odysseus feel grieved. Hermes conveys the command from Zeus that Calypso should release Odysseus immediately, which brings a huge strike on Calypso, who has taken a good care of Odysseus in these years. Böcklin makes the hue of background accordant with the negative mood of Odysseus and Calypso. Flint takes advantage of bright and distinctive colors to contrast Odysseus’s agony of imprisonment and Calypso’s reluctance.
Besides, Odysseus in Böcklin’s picture stands with his back, dark blue robe wrapping his whole body, weary and desolate. We cannot figure out the expression in his face and he just lower the head, seemingly devoured by front endless offwhite. Odysseus in Flint’s picture sits sideways, staring ahead blankly.
Moreover, Calypso by Böcklin is nude and leans against the rock, a loom with a golden shuttle in hand. Calypso by Flint stands at the entrance of the cave, wearing a water blue dress. In this aspect, Böcklin is more faithful to the description of original text, which reads “She was seated inside, singing in a lovely voice, as she wove at her loom with a golden shuttle.” Nevertheless, Calypso in both pictures gazes at Odysseus, her eye expressions being worth a thousand words.
Your connection with the text is very helpful It helps with visualizing the scene and realizing the differences and similarities in the text. Along with the aspect of Calypso being naked in one painting and not in the other there is also the factor of proximity. In the painting with Calypso naked she seems to be far from Odysseus as though to allude an emotional distance between them. In the one with Calypso dressed there is a closer proximity but the sorrow is more evident on Odysseus.
Your analysis of those art works got my attention. Also to add up, I see grapes in Flint’s art work. In that painting, while Odysseus is longing for his hometown, Calypso is holding grape vine which is related to make wine. Wine can be a great way to bait someone. In my opinion, Flint wanted to make a point that Calypso is convincing Odysseus not to leave her by using putting grape vine in the picture.
This is wonderful work! Your detailed observations lead to clear interpretive analyses of the paintings as paintings, and of their relationship to the text. I’m especially struck with your attention to the palettes of both paintings, and how each–the one subdued, the other bright–manages to underscore Odysseus’ mood, and Calypso’s desire. Certain sentences–“It is difficult to divide the sky from the sea on account of the same color applied to them, hazily ashen”–are really fantastic.
-Prof Kolb