Cassandra Imploring Athena for Revenge Against Ajax 1810 - 1838

Jérôme-Martin Langlois created this watercolor and gouache drawing, "Cassandra Imploring Athena for Revenge Against Ajax," using a muted palette to convey a somber tone. Cassandra, reclining in the foreground, is rendered with soft contours, her form illuminated against the darker architectural backdrop. The composition is structured to contrast the immediate, personal tragedy of Cassandra with the distant, chaotic scene of violence against the backdrop. A flame burns atop the altar next to the bound figure of Cassandra, while in the background, visible through a colonnade, a shadowy figure assaults a woman. Langlois uses these visual cues to tap into the semiotic language of Neoclassical art, engaging with themes of power, violation, and divine retribution. The work is framed within larger philosophical inquiries about justice and vengeance. It asks us to consider how art might reflect and shape our understanding of moral complexities.