The Rape of Ganymede 16th-17th century

Curator: This is Philippe Thomassin's "The Rape of Ganymede." I'm struck by how the lines capture a sense of turbulence and terror. Editor: Look at that dog! He's howling at the sky! It’s all meticulously etched; the texture of the eagle's feathers versus Ganymede's smooth skin. The labor involved must have been significant. Curator: Exactly. The dog adds a sense of loss, abandonment. But it is an idealized, sanitized abduction. There is beauty and terror intertwined. Editor: I'm also thinking about the historical context. Printmaking democratized images, making classical myths accessible beyond the elite. This image would have circulated widely. Curator: True, the myth is definitely reinterpreted through the artistic choices. Ganymede's face, almost serene amidst the drama. The image makes you contemplate your own desires. Editor: It’s a collision of skill and access, really. How do we value labor within these classical narratives? Curator: Perhaps, it makes you consider that the emotional and the material are intertwined, a dance of the aesthetic and the actual.