Re-imagining the damaging trope of the lonely, single woman who pursues a married man, I paint Circe, the Sirens and Calypso from Greek Mythology.
All three are beautiful, unmarried goddesses exiled to spend their days alone on their respective Greek islands. Each has the power and desire to enchant a man and hold him captive as their love slave.
Homer must have enjoyed this fantasy because he repeated this scenario three times in The Odyssey; the epic poem chronicling Odysseus’ ten-year journey home from the Trojan War to his clever and loyal wife Penelope. Penelope, a mortal woman, deserves her own Goddess portrait of recognition for the clever strategies she uses to stall the relentless barrage of suitors who show up to take his place and rule Ithaca, should Odysseus not return home.
My triptych, HER Space, HER Odyssey, began as a single painting re-imagining Circe’s story.
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| Circe Happy Sol-O Judy Takács oil on canvas with gold leaf |
Circe Happy Sol-O
As the story goes, the Goddess Circe, exiled to her desolate Greek Isle with only her animals for company, falls in love with Odysseus when his ship stumbles upon her shores. She invites him and his crew for a lavish banquet she conjures up. Odysseus’ men behave like pigs in the face of this generosity, so Circe turns them into pigs. Without a working crew of men, Odysseus is forced to stay with Circe, who is so smitten she enchants him to be her defenseless lover…for seven long years!
My Circe uses no such tricks to seduce an unwilling married man and happily sends him on his way, keeping only a couple piglets as pets. She’s happy with her own company and her own space.
Circe Happy Sol-O showed as part of the Valley Art Center’s 52nd Annual Juried Exhibition in 2023 and caught the attention of Cleveland Heights Poet Laureate, Siaara Freeman. At the VAC's signature Ekphrastacy event, Siaara composed and performed a jaw-dropping poem, wriggling with passion, pain and triumph…inspired by my painting.
I was thrilled to discover that Siaara was also a scholar and critic of Greek Mythology…a kindred spirit. Even better, she accepted my proposal to pose for the Goddess Project, where I re-imagine the mythology of all the religions through a contemporary feminist lens..
Because of her mermaid persona as Lake Erie Siren, my initial idea was to cast her as Tethys Oceanus, the Titan Goddess of Sea and Fresh Water…as part of the 12 Titan Goddess series I’m currently recruiting for. Siaara far exceeded my expectations with loads of inspiration, fascinating characters and stories I hadn’t even considered. Further research led to two more paintings in the triptych I call, HER Space, HER Odyssey.
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| Sirens Silent for O Judy Takács oil on canvas with gold leaf |
Sirens Silent for O
Among the many monsters Homer casts in Odysseus’ path, the most alluring are the Sirens; evil bird/mermaid goddesses who, like Circe, also inhabit a desolate Greek island. They sing piercing and irresistible songs to lure sailors to their shores.
The Siren’s rocky shores wreck ships and the men who survive remain captives, never to be rescued. Sailors who search for them meet a similar fate.
Odysseus is clever though, and curious. He wants to hear the Siren’s song…without the inevitable shipwreck. He concocts a plan where his men block their own ears with cotton to navigate the waters undistracted. They then strap Odysseus to the mast, with his strict orders not to untie him no matter how he begs and pleads.
My Sirens, however, are tired of clearing shipwreck rubble and have no need for clumsy sailors. They admonish each other to stay quiet until Odysseus’ ship passes.
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| Calypso Says So Long O Judy Takács oil on canvas with gold leaf |
Calypso Says So Long O
Calypso’s mythological story, like Circe’s, tells of her desperate love for married Odysseus, Calypso also keeps him captive on her desolate island. Apparently though, in the pantheon of Greek Gods, it’s unfitting for a Goddess to keep a mortal man as her lover, (a male God with a mortal woman as his lover, concubine or rape victim is fine though…) The Gods convince Goddess Calypso to give Odysseus hammer, wood and nails to build himself a ship and be on his way. My Calypso, a take-charge woman, is only too happy to do that…so happy in fact, that she builds the boat herself, carving her own golden image as figurehead, to send him swiftly on his way.
I was honored that Siaara Freeman, Cleveland Heights Poet Laureate, agreed to pose twice as Calypso; the Goddess herself and her carved image too. Art and Life came together beautifully as they often do!
I’m also thrilled that Calypso Says So Long O was accepted to…
The Valley Art Center
53rd Annual Juried Exhibition
Opening Reception:
Friday night, November 8, 5:00 to 8:00pm
Sensory Friendly Quiet Hour: 5:00 to 6:00.
Awards at 7:00 pm
Doors open at 6:30
Poetry Begins at 7:00 pm
Show continues through December 16th
155 Bell Street
Chagrin Falls, Ohio