Leda and the Swan
Marie Laurencin, French, 1883 - 1956
Geography:
Made in France, Europe
Date:
1923Medium:
Oil on canvasDimensions:
26 1/2 x 32 inches (67.3 x 81.3 cm) Framed: 33 1/8 x 39 3/8 x 2 1/2 inches (84.1 x 100 x 6.4 cm)Copyright:
© Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, ParisCuratorial Department:
European PaintingObject Location:
1978-173-1Credit Line:
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Charles C. G. Chaplin, 1978
Made in France, Europe
Date:
1923Medium:
Oil on canvasDimensions:
26 1/2 x 32 inches (67.3 x 81.3 cm) Framed: 33 1/8 x 39 3/8 x 2 1/2 inches (84.1 x 100 x 6.4 cm)Copyright:
© Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, ParisCuratorial Department:
European PaintingObject Location:
Currently not on view
Accession Number:1978-173-1Credit Line:
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Charles C. G. Chaplin, 1978
Label:
Leda and the Swan was a popular subject for modern artists, who enjoyed its themes of transformation and seduction. According to Greek mythology, the god Zeus changed himself into a swan to seduce Leda, the wife of Tyndareus, the king of Sparta. In Marie Laurencin's version, which was influenced by her work for the Ballets Russes in Monte Carlo, Leda caresses the swan's feathered neck and back, yet the black railing that separates them suggests an insurmountable division between the sexes, perhaps reflecting Laurencin's own position as one of the few female artists within the French avant-garde.
Leda and the Swan was a popular subject for modern artists, who enjoyed its themes of transformation and seduction. According to Greek mythology, the god Zeus changed himself into a swan to seduce Leda, the wife of Tyndareus, the king of Sparta. In Marie Laurencin's version, which was influenced by her work for the Ballets Russes in Monte Carlo, Leda caresses the swan's feathered neck and back, yet the black railing that separates them suggests an insurmountable division between the sexes, perhaps reflecting Laurencin's own position as one of the few female artists within the French avant-garde.
