Endymion 1790 - 1844

Domenico Marchetti created this print, 'Endymion', around the turn of the nineteenth century. The delicate gradations of tone, achieved through careful hatching and cross-hatching, give the image a sculptural quality, evoking the Neoclassical style popular at the time. The composition invites us to consider binaries, such as activity and passivity, the conscious and the unconscious. Endymion, the shepherd of Greek myth, reclines in a state of perpetual slumber. Diana, the moon goddess, has cast a spell upon him, ensuring his eternal youth and beauty. Next to Endymion sits a dog, alert and watchful. This juxtaposition heightens the contrast between Endymion's dreamy stillness and the animal's vigilant presence. The interplay between these elements creates a tension which destabilizes established meanings, values, and categories. The viewer is left to ponder the nature of desire, beauty, and the human condition.