Waterhouse, John William - Ulysses and the Sirens Art Print
An archival premium Quality Art Print of Ulysses and the Sirens by John William Waterhouse for sale by Brandywine General Store. The artist painted this oil on canvas in 1891. The sirens according to Greek Mythology were creatures that were half woman and half bird who had a song so beautiful that men could not resist them. The sirens lived on an island called Sirenum which was surrounded by rocks and cliffs and were the daughters of either the Sea God Phorcys or the River God Achelous. The sirens would lure sailors to their deaths by luring them with their sweet songs to crash their ships upon the rocks. The Greek Hero, Odysseus, or Ulysses in the English language, had been forewarned of the sirens and their actions before his voyage began by the sorceress Circe. When Ulysses and his men got to the region where the sirens lived, he had his men's ears stuffed full of wax so they could not hear, Ulysses had himself tied fast to the mast so he could not steer the boat into the rocky cliffs when he heard the sirens music. According to legend, after a couple of failures of not luring men to their deaths upon their rocky cliffs, the sirens drowned themselves in anguish. This painting has been described as a masterpiece and the most outstanding of all Victorian pictures based on Homer. Like the Lady of Shalott, (which we also have listed in our store) it combines romance and realism in a nightmarish and dramatic intensity. Famous artists print #95
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