With its story of forbidden desire and tragic beauty, the Narcissus myth has long inspired artists. Through images from the Renaissance to today, Holly James Johnston explores how the myth has found particular resonance amongst queer literary and artistic circles.
Works referenced in this video:
Claude, 'Landscape with Narcissus and Echo', 1644: https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/claude-landscape-with-narcissus-and-echo
Follower of Giovanni Antonio Boltraffio, 'Narcissus', probably about 1500: https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/follower-of-giovanni-antonio-boltraffio-narcissus
John William Waterhouse, 'Echo and Narcissus', 1903. Walker Art Gallery, National Museums Liverpool © National Museums Liverpool /Bridgeman Images
Caravaggio, 'Narcissus', 1597–9. Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica, Rome, Italy. Photo © Stefano Baldini/Bridgeman Images
Gustave Moreau, 'Narcissus', ca. 1890. Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond. Adolph D. and Wilkins C. Williams Fund, 2005.83. Photo: Katherine Wetzel © Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
Oscar Wilde, ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’, 1890
Charles Ricketts, 'Narcissus by the Pool', illustration for Oscar Wilde’s ‘The Disciple’, c. 1890–1924 © Art Institute of Chicago
Thomas Nast, 'Mr. O'Wilde, You are not the first one that has grasped at a Shadow.' Published in Harper's Bazaar, February 11, 1882 © The Met Museum, New York
Pierre et Gilles, ‘Narcisse’, 2012 (model Matthieu Charneau)
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