Bacchus and Ariadne is an oil painting by French artist, Eustache Le Sueur.1 The Baroque style painting illustrates the Greek myth of Bacchus (Dionysus) and his love for a heartbroken woman, Ariadne. French Baroque paintings “had non-religious themes derived from Greek and Roman models…”2 as evident in the Le Sueur’s decision to depict a Greek myth. The myth is about the daughter of King Minos of Crete, Ariadne. She instantly falls in love with Theseus, who wants to defeat Minotaur the beast. Ariadne offers to help Theseus in exchange for marriage, which he accepts despite not having any genuine intentions of marrying her.3 After defeating the Minotaur, Theseus and Ariadne sail towards Athens. However, he later abandons her, destroying Ariadne emotionally. Bacchus, the god of wine, appears and frightens her. Bacchus fell in love with her at first sight, and she agrees to marry him, eventually reciprocating the love. The painting depicts a variation of the myth where Bacchus transforms her crown into a constellation, elevating his wife to immortal status. The realistic and nearly nude figures are reflective of the “sensual, passionate, theatrical [and] extravagant”4 nature of Baroque art. The myth is portrayed almost identically in the painting through the use of composition, movement, balance and unity, and contrasting colors. Clearly, Le Sueur interprets the myth as the revelation of love’s duality, mixing despair with hope.

The composition of the painting combines the two emotions that love may evoke: hope and hopelessness. The painting is divided into two vertical halves. The background of the left side illustrates crowded leaves which block the sky, suggesting a cramped and dark feeling. The cramped background is representative of the lack of hope that was caused by Ariadne’s heartbreak. The right half of the painting is far more open and liberating. The sky in the background is exposed and open, symbolizing opportunity. The ship, also in the background, represents the couple’s chance to initiate their new journey. The duality of love is also exhibited in the foreground, depicting the characters as the focal point of the artwork. Hopelessness is projected through Ariadne’s body language; she is resting for she is tired of the heartache. Hope is seen through Bacchus’ open stance. The painting showcases dynamic movement, a common characteristic of Baroque paintings.5 The image transitions from a sitting figure to a standing figure, similar to how love can be transformative from despair to hope. Overall, the composition of Bacchus and Ariadne illustrates love as both a wrecking and mending force.

Ariadne and Bacchus are positioned carefully to reflect their emotions. Ariadne is sitting in a resting pose, as a result of the heartache. Her facial expression shows admiration and interest rather than the fear that the myth emphasizes. The resting posture and facial expression in this interpretation depict her as willing and inviting towards Bacchus. By sitting she is physically lowering herself beneath Bacchus and demonstrating her willingness to be led by him despite her previous heartache. Perhaps Ariadne is hopeful that she will find true love with Bacchus. Ariadne is also looking towards Bacchus, looking towards hope. Bacchus, on the other hand, is standing up and in the middle of moving closer to Ariadne. This stance represents his dominance, exhibiting Bacchus’ confidence seen in the myth when he declares his interest in Ariadne. His facial expression shows his intense concentration on Ariadne, suggesting his immediate attraction and dedication to her. Both characters are barely clothed, revealing their well-built and physically attractive bodies. Their exposed and desirable physiques typify the sensuality and passion of Baroque art.6 However, it is necessary to note that Bacchus is more exposed than Ariadne. Ariadne’s legs are covered but her fist is clenching the material that covers her. The clenched hand is representative of how she is currently in a state of despair but is in the process of slowly uncovering herself, slowly beginning to accept love again.

Balance and unity are demonstrated through color, movement, and composition. Though not perfectly symmetrical, the overlap within the painting creates balance. The same colors are used throughout the entire painting. For example, green is predominantly on the tree on the left side but also appears on the right side on Bacchus’ crown. The color blue is vibrantly displayed in Ariadne’s cloth on the left side but is also seen in the sky on the right side. The equal use of colors allows them to blend instead of dominating one another. Despite Ariadne’s body taking up less space than Bacchus’ extended body, it is balanced out by the fact that they are looking and leaning towards each other. This movement and position reinforce the idea that both individuals are interested in each other, love unites them. Lastly, the work is tied together with the overall composition of the painting. Bacchus’ and Ariadne’s legs overlap, uniting them and displaying them as one. Bacchus’ body is used as a transition between the half that is representative of hopelessness and that half that is representative of hope. This is also true in how the leaves on the tree have gaps, slowly letting light in, foreshadowing the upcoming hope.

The artist combines light and colors to emphasize despair and optimism. Le Sueur does this by using dark cool colors and light warm colors. Ariadne’s body is pale and quite literally white. In addition to the light colors on her body, she is wrapped in a vivid blue colored cloth. These cool toned colors are representative of the despair and sadness that Ariadne experiences after her heartbreak. In a sense the colors used on her make her appear lifeless and drained. On the right side, mostly warm and pastel colors are used. The warm colors emphasize Bacchus’ liveliness and affectionate nature. Le Sueur uses a pink colored cloth to symbolize the love Bacchus feels for Ariadne. Bacchus’ warm-toned body contrasts the cool-toned body of Ariadne, demonstrating the different effects of love. In Baroque art “the most common element throughout was a sensitivity to an absolute mastery of light to achieve maximum emotional impact.”7 The light and warm colors are representative of the new hope and future that Ariadne will have with Bacchus, someone who truly loves her. On the other hand, the more concentrated and cool colors are representative of the disappointments that falling in love with Theseus created for Ariadne.

Le Sueur incorporates the dual nature of love seen in the Bacchus and Ariadne myth into his painting by portraying love as a source of hopelessness and hope. Composition, movement, balance and unity, and contrasting colors not only reveal the underlying message behind the myth, but also key characteristics that define this artwork as Baroque. The artwork is able to project the idea that mankind is subject to the duality of love, just as Ariadne was.

Bibliography

“Bacchus and Ariadne.” Artble, 10 Aug. 2017, www.artble.com/artists/titian/paintings/bacchus_and_ariadne.

“Bacchus and Ariadne.” Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 27 Mar. 2019, www.mfa.org/collections/object/bacchus-and-ariadne-34033.

Fahy, Christopher. “Baroque Characteristics and Art.” 3 Apr. 2019, Boston, Boston University.

Strickland, Carol, and John Boswell. The Annotated Mona Lisa. Andrews McMeel, 2017.