INTO THE TIME OF HOMER
Written by Xenia Georgiadou
''From James Joyce’s Ulysses to the Cohen brothers’
references to the Homeric symposium, it is evident
that Homer’s epic poems have impregnated Western
thought and art in every one of its guises...''
From James Joyce’s Ulysses to Rubens’ brutal
Achilles, and from Cavafy’s “Ithaka” to the
Cohen brothers’ references to the Homeric symposium,
it is evident that Homer’s epic poems,
these archetypes of global mytho-history, have
impregnated Western thought and art in every
one of its guises. The heroes of the Iliad and the
Odyssey continues to play a prominent part in
our everyday discussions, to become the protagonists
of children’s games, to inspire graphic
novels, to be amplified via folklore, and to inspire
artists’ imagination, establishing a framework for
contemporary narratives in fiction.
Louvre-Lens
exhibition “Homer” looks at the myriad of echoes
of Homer’s words in artistic and literary production,
delving deep into the mysteries of the
life and work of the seminal poet – What did
he look like? When was he born? What was his
ancestry?
From Gustave Moreau and Andr. Derain
to Marc Chagall and Cy Twombly, more than
250 works – sculpture, vases, tapestry, paintings
– shine the spotlight on myriad aspects of the
Homeric question from antiquity through to our
days. Attending this impressive exhibition, it becomes
apparent that the spirit of Homer cannot
just be found in the evocative immortalizations
of scenes from his epics but lives on in abstract,
iconoclastic artwork and extends far beyond the
Arts to our contemporary life – from decorative
motifs on everyday objects to philosophy, political
discourse and fashion.
*Until 22/07, www.louvrelens.fr