Gender, Legends and Art Bacchus Dionysos

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Gender, Legends and Art Bacchus - Dionysos

• Vesa Matteo Piludu

University of Helsinki Department of Art Research
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Zeus, seated on a rock, gives birth to the god
Dionysos from his thigh
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Newly born from the thigh of Zeus

• Dionysos is depicted in this painting newly born
  from the thigh of Zeus.
• The king of the gods holds a thyrsos (a pine-cone
  tipped staff), one of the usual attributes of
  Dionysos, and sits on a stool spread with a deer
  skin.
• His infant son holds a vine-branch in one hand
  and a wine cup in the other, indicating his
  destined role as the god of wine.

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Dionysos young and mature
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Birth of DionysosDate ca 405 - 385 BC
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Blessed Dionysos

• Come, blessed Dionysos, various-named,
  bull-faced, begot from thunder, Bakkhos famed.
  Bassaros God, of universal might, whom swords and
  blood and sacred rage delight in heaven
  rejoicing, mad, loud-sounding God, furious
  inspirer, bearer of the rod by Gods revered, who
  dwellest with humankind, propitious come, with
  much rejoicing mind.
• Orphic Hymn 45 to Dionysus   
• I sing of Dionysus, the son of glorious Semele.
  He appeared on a jutting headland by the shore of
  the fruitless sea, seeming like a stripling in
  the first flush of manhood his rich, dark hair
  was waving about him, and on his strong shoulders
  he wore a purple robe Hail, child of fair-faced
  Semele! He who forgets you can in no wise order
  sweet song.
• Homeric Hymn 7 to Dionysus

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Bacchus and Ariadne by Titian
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Dyonisus and satyr
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Dionysos and Ariadne
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Caravaggio positive Christian interpretationBacc
hus Christ
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Caravaggio Bacchus
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Leonardo da Vinci, BacchusBacchus St. John the
baptistOil on panel transferred to canvas,
1510-15
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Rubens negative interpretation of a fat (!)
vicious bacchus