As it was winter, a deeply absorbed Millais did not notice the warming oil lamps under the bathtub went out. As time goes by, more and more people learn that an actual woman put almost the same effort in creating this masterpiece as the painter himself.Įlizabeth Siddal (1829–1862), then 19 years old, lay clothed in the bathtub to model for Millais. It is also a painting that almost everyone knows, even those who are not passionate about arts. John Everett Millais’ Ophelia is probably the most famous visualization of the epochal character’s death. However, we repeatedly fail to acknowledge the contributions made by a person who we regard as a muse. Often times, we come across an artist whose creative outburst resulted from someone else’s mere presence.
We can encounter the word “muse” very often beyond Hesiod’s and Homer’s writings and find out that it is, in fact, quite common for artists to seek ingenuity, creativity, and inspiration outside of themselves. “Muse” in the Arts: Nicolas Poussin, Apollo and the Muses on Mount Parnassus, c.1626-1628/31, Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid, Spain. As a result, Apollo took them to Mount Elikonas (former temple of Zeus) and, in accordance with Greek mythology, ever since that day, Muses have been intensifying curiosity and imagination helping artists to create masterpieces. Μnemosyne, baffled and perplexed, gave the babies to the nymph Eufime and the god Apollo.Īs the Muses grew up, they inclined toward the arts and showed not a single sign of having interest in average human life. Their intimate encounters gave birth to nine muses: Clio, Euterpe, Thalia, Melpomeni, Terpsichore, Erato, Polymnia, Ourania, and Calliope. As claimed by the Greek myths, the god Zeus slept with a young woman called Mnemosyne, who was the Titan goddess of memory, for nine consecutive nights. Nevertheless, the word limits our perception to a very narrow understanding of the impressive and exceptional contributions the “muses” made to many art forms.Īccording to Hesiod, in Greek mythology, “Muses” or “Mouses” were beings who inspired artists and philosophers in the process of creation. That is to say, artists who take talent and flair from of their so-called muses believe their sources of inspiration are greatly revered. People, commonly women, represented under the umbrella of this word are held in very high regard. The word “muse” has generally a very positive connotation.
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