Orestes Pursued by the Furies

Ancient Greeks loved tragedies. Here, the French Academic artist William Bouguereau depicted a scene from Aeschylus's play entitled The Libation Bearers. It recounted the events that happened after the famous Iliad. Agamemnon's son Orestes returned home to take revenge on his mother, Clytemnestra, for murdering his father. Of course, nothing was simple in Greek tragedies—Clytemnestra killed Agamemnon because he sacrificed their daughter Iphigenia to Artemis to ensure good sailing weather to travel to Troy and fight in the Trojan War.

Orestes ultimately murders his mother and is tormented and chased offstage by The Furies, beings who personify vengeance. Here we see this exact scene. Bouguereau, in this depiction, contrasts Orestes' bare form with the grotesque ensemble of the Furies encircling him, establishing a benchmark for academic painters of the late 19th century. His use of classical figures to animate strikingly dramatic scenes won him both commercial success and critical recognition as the grand master of the French art establishment.

We wish you a calm Tuesday, without any vengeance and tormenting Furies. 

P.S. Greek mythology is full of surprising plots and ... even more unexpected endings. Take a quick tour through 7 crazy stories from Greek mythology! For more, see the articles below.

P.P.S. Are you looking to learn something new about art? In our free online course, we will give you some tips about making looking at art a process that is a bit like meditation—how to open yourself up to art so it can resonate with you. Check out How To Look At Art (Free Course)!  :)