This paper will examine the composition of Ganymede and the Eagle by Bertel Thorvaldsen and how Thorvaldsen’s use of composition affects the overall meaning of the piece. Composition is important in art because it is what makes viewers stop and look at art pieces. The arrangement of elements throughout successful pieces must captivate the viewers and give their eyes a comfortable path throughout the piece. Thorvaldsen’s organization of Ganymede and the Eagle provides a visual path that is pleasant to the eye and narrates the history between Ganymede and Zeus.
The neoclassical sculpture was started in 1817 and finished in 1829.The sculpture depicts the legend Ganymede, knelt down, offering Zeus, in the form of an eagle, ambrosia from a kylix. …show more content…
Ganymede is the deity in charge of bringing the rain of the heavens to Earth as well as Zeus’ catamite and cup-bearer. In art, Ganymede is portrayed as a beautiful youth typically characterized by the Phrygian cap he wears. His beauty is described as “the loveliest born of the race of mortals, and therefore the gods caught him away to themselves, to be Zeus' wine-pourer, for the sake of his beauty, so he might be among the immortals.” His beauty captivated Zeus. Zeus changed into the form of an eagle, captured Ganymede, and brought him to Olympus where he would be given immortality. As a form of compensation for taking his son away, Zeus gave Tros two immortal horses. At Olympus, Ganymede became Zeus’ catamite and cup-bearer. Catamite refers to pederasty, the social custom in which a male adult and a male teenager form a sexual relationship, during the archaic and classical periods of Greece. Ganymede replaced the former cup-bearer, Hebes, after her marriage with Hercules. As cup-bearer, Ganymede stands next to Zeus’ throne on Olympus and serve ambrosia to