Daphne 1953

Ossip Zadkine made this pen and ink drawing, Daphne, in 1953. The subject is taken from Greek myth, in which Daphne is turned into a laurel tree to escape the unwanted attentions of Apollo. Zadkine was a Belarussian sculptor and artist whose work combined the influences of Cubism with an interest in classical subjects. Living and working in Paris from 1921 until his death, his sculpture and drawing were part of an avant-garde art scene that was open to experimentation. After the Second World War, some artists turned to classical myth for imagery that could stand for the suffering and trauma of the war years, and perhaps, Zadkine's Daphne is such a work. The story of Daphne is often read as a story of female self-determination against male power. Zadkine's drawing offers a striking image of this transformation, as the figure seems to merge with the tree. To understand Zadkine’s intentions better, we might look to his other works, the writings of his contemporaries, or the exhibition reviews of the time. Art is not made in a vacuum, and neither is its interpretation.