One of the myths we read this unit was about two interesting characters, Narcissus and
Echo. There have been many paintings and drawings depicting this myth, and the two I have
selected are beautiful, but they could not be more different. Both represent the same story, but
in completely separate ways. Below I have described them and their differences in hopes that
the two sides can be fully explained and understood.
Narcissus and Echo were both very complex. The story about them is a basic love myth.
Echo was a nymph who had been cursed by Hera. She could only repeat the last word anyone
had said. Unfortunately, she was in love with the beautiful Narcissus but couldn’t speak to him
first. After Narcissus rejected her, for he had no interest in love, he saw his own reflection in a
pool of water. Once he saw his own beauty, he fell in love with himself and became completely
enamored with his reflection. He wouldn’t move from his spot and began withering away in
front of Echo’s eyes. Once he finally died and was buried, a flower bloomed at his grave. The
flower was called the Narcissus flower because it leaned over the water looking at itself.
The first painting portrays the myth of Narcissus and Echo. It shows a beautiful figure,
most likely a girl, with a Rhino perched atop her head. In the bottom left hand corner is a flower
that looks to be bleeding, which could relate to the fact that the flower bloomed on top of
Narcissus’s grave. The author of this painting uses shadows and darker colors towards the
bottom of the canvas, but as the eye drifts further up, a good portion of the picture is
drastically lighter. The most dominant part of this picture is the rhino atop the woman figure. It
is painted in rounded shapes and colored with many different violet tones. The painting looks
rather waxy. It looks as if it has been painted with oils or textured paint that would give a
physical texture to the work. The eyelashes on the girl appear really soft, as does her skin. The
rhino, with close inspection, looks rather rough and wrinkled, which adds good detail and
accuracy to actual Rhinos.
Since this composition is supposedly based off the myth of Narcissus and Echo, I
suppose the rhino is representing Echo. Echo could be shown this way to depict how heavy a
weight she bares by not being able to speak first or being a victim of unrequited love. This myth
characterizes Narcissus as a man, while this painting shows a woman. It is possible that the
woman is actually a man, or it is also possible that the painter simply could not think of
anything more beautiful than a woman.
The second work shows Narcissus staring into the water at his reflection while echo
looks on longingly, enamored with his beauty. It is based off the Myth of Narcissus and Echo,
just like the other picture, but in a much more traditional way. The picture depicts a specific
scene that is described in writing during the myth. The surrounding area is very lush and lively,
as are the two characters. Both Echo and Narcissus look very much alive, and both look rather
healthy and glowing. This painting uses a mix of straight and curvy lines. While the human
forms are curvy, the trees and rocks are formed with straight lines and harsher definitions. The
color scheme is very bright and brings the whole painting to life. The only remotely sad part of
the painting is Echo's facial expression. Echo’s facial expression shows that she is indeed sad
that she will never be loved back by Narcissus. This is an ultimate sadness, because it is really all
she longs for. The painter did a fantastic job of portraying that emotion though his work.
These two pictures are both very different ways of looking at the myth of Narcissus and
Echo. Both of them are beautifully done, but show opposite sides of the tale. The first picture is
more of an abstract interpretation rather than a literal representation, like the second. With
the Rhino, it becomes more thought provoking and slightly more difficult to decipher. The more
literal second photo is a particular part of the myth and doesn't show too many interpreted
details aside from longing on both characters parts. Since the characters are both victims of
unrequited love, their facial expressions reflect that and it is obvious that the painter wanted to
exemplify that. The first picture is definitely more morose than the second, as shown by the
very different color schemes. Overall, both paintings are wonderfully done but with different
intentions.
Both paintings are great representations of the myth of Narcissus and Echo. While they
are very unique in their own right, they both exemplify the story and their artists intricate
thought process. Without even reading the myth, the second composition gives a good idea of
the main point of the story. The first piece, however, is more of an interpretation that has been
expanded by its artist. Although the works are different in style and thought process, they both
show the theme of beauty and love as well as the downside to those things have. That being
said, it is easy to see how different artists paint what they are thinking. The first artist may have
been stuck with sadness more so than the second while making their art piece, creating the
slight difference in mood. Overall these two pictures are very helpful in describing the myth and
explaining its themes.