Eleni and Menelaus
This painting was originally commissioned by one of the Universities in
the Los Angeles area for the poster of a theatrical production "The
Return of Eleni" that was an adaptation from Ancient Greek Drama by
Euripides. The
production director liked the painting but it was later rejected by the
university public relations committee (this is what they told me) as indecent
and inappropriate. This rejection automatically made me a member of this elite
group of banned artists. It made me feel very sad and at the same time very
proud of my work. If you read the original play, I hope that you see how this
proposed poster introduces some of the ideas of the play with pictorial
elements. The composition includes the boat that brought
Menelaus to Egypt and would take both away, the jar that she was going to fill
with water when she met her former husband, the dove as a symbol of peace, the pyramids in the back, since the
story takes place in Egypt, Menelaus with a rose, ready to accept Helen back,
and both covering their faces, since they did not recognize each other in the
beginning. Regarding the depiction of Helen, one has to bear in mind that her
feminine/sexual persona was the reason for the Trojan war and that at the time
of her return to Menelaus, Helen must have been between 40 to 50 years
old. I had to make the painting in a way that I could show her age and leave the
thoughts of the heroes to the spectator's imagination.
Title: |
Eleni and Menelaus |
Medium: |
Pastel on Paper |
Size (WxH ): |
9X12 inches |
Frame: |
Framed |
Painted in: |
Los Angeles |
Date: |
1997 |
Signed: |
Lower Right |
Status: |
Private Collection |
Price |
|
Painting ID: |
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Copyright ©: Zafiris Gourgouliatos, 2001. All rights
reserved. Art may not be copied or reproduced without permission. For more
information please send E-mail to: zafiris@zafiris.net