Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Object of the Day, Museum Edition: Ithaca Grecian Islands, 1839

Ithaca
Grecian Islands
G.T. Vigne, 1839
The Victoria & Albert Museum



Thought to be the island home of Odysseus (Roman—Ulysses), the Grecian island of Ithaca has inspired many a work of art. For example, this 1839 watercolor by Godfrey Thomas Vigne (1801-1863) shows the island in a misty, ethereal light.

Vigne painted this piece while on a long sea voyage from India to his home in England. Created with rapid, flowing strokes, Vigne’s work reinforces the mysterious power of the Grecian islands and attempts to give Nineteenth Century eyes an insight into why ancient Greeks were so fascinated with the isolated land masses around their coast.




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