Monday, September 12, 2011

Sea Nymph Sunday, Mermaid Monday

Today was a scorcher. I worked until 5 pm, sweating profusely as usual. The first thing I did was drop-splat myself directly into our backyard above-ground pool. It was freezing as usual. It was amazing.

Five hours later I still felt like hot death, so I shimmied back into my suit, marched up that pool ladder, and flung myself into the pool with the abandon of a dog jumping at wasps. It was even more amazing than before.

I told my fiance I'd just dunk and get out right away, but I had to stay in and frolic. I had to. It was a full moon and it was glistening betwixt the trees for me. I was the sea nymph Israfel, whom this mysterious stranger had captured and clothed, and given me inflatable toys to play with. He asked me what did I eat in the ocean that he could bring me? Naturally I told him my native foods were garlic butter prawns and crab legs.

Eventually he lured me out... did you know sea nymphs could live on land? They can you know. Mysterious Stranger wrapped me in a warm, fuzzy yellow robe and showed me how to walk. He even taught me how to open a door... turn the knob and push yourself through the portal.

I like land.

In celebration I shall now post some of the (mostly pre-raphaelite) paintings I have been indulging in for the last two nights. Sea nymphs, sirens, naiads, and mermaids. Among them, some of my favourite artists such as Evelyn de Morgan and John William Waterhouse. However, if you are not comfortable with nude figures you best be moving on.



nymph
noun

1. one of a numerous class of lesser deities of mythology, conceived of as beautiful maidens inhabiting the sea, rivers, woods, trees, mountains, meadows, etc., and frequently mentioned as attending a superior deity.
2. a beautiful or graceful young woman.
3. a maiden.
  
nai·ad
[ney-ad]
noun, plural
1. Classical Mythology - any of a class of nymphs presiding over rivers and springs.
Click to enlarge the images. 

DETAIL of John William Waterhouse - Hylas and the Nymphs, 1886
John William Waterhouse - A Mermaid




John William Waterhouse - The Siren
Lord Frederick Leighton - The Fisherman and the Syren
Adolphe La Lyre - Dans Les Rochers de la Plage, a Cartelet

Sophie Anderson - Head of a Nymph

Evelyn Pickering De Morgan - Little Sea Maid


Guillaume Seignac - La Vague (The Wave)


The Land Baby by John Collier



Herbert Draper - The Water Baby

Herbert James Draper - Title Unknown


Herbert James Draper, The Foam Sprite

James Herbert Draper - Ulysses and the Sirens

James Herbert Draper - The Sea Maiden
James Herbert Draper - Flying Fish


Paul Albert Laurens (1870-1934, French) - Catching Waves

Siren or the Green Abyss by Giulio Aristide Sartorio, 1900


Hans Zatka
Hans Zatka - Pearls of the Sea

Hans Zatka
Hans Zatka, Water Nymphs

Evelyn Pickering de Morgan - Sea Maidens

Charles Edouard Boutibonne - Mermaids Frolicking in the Sea

Mermaid and Her Offspring - Edward Burn-Jones

Victor Karlovich Shtemberg - Sirens by the Sea

Mermaids, by Edward Frederick Brewtnall

Elisabeth Jerichau Baumann Havfrue, 1863

Elisabeth Jerichau-Baumann - A Mermaid at NY Carlsberg Glyptotek, 1863

Adolphe La Lyre - La Chute de la Sirene


Arnold Boecklin

Circle of Johann Heinrich Wilhelm Tischbein


Peter Nicolai Arbo Havmanden

Mermaid, by Severino Baraldi

Edward Poynter- The Cave of the Storm Nymphs
Gioacchino Pagliei, The Naiads, 1881

Gaston Bussiere - The Nereides

Calm Sea by Arnold Bocklin

Mermaids, Artist Unknown (if you know who it is, please let me know!)


4 comments:

  1. Dear Misia, what a beautiful selection of nymphs, you have here, wonderful paintings and a beautiful blog.

    Thank you for your comment and for following. To find out all about the painting used for my profile picture go here;
    http://thefrenchsampler.blogspot.com/2010/06/dash-revealed.html

    ReplyDelete
  2. Misia, I have just tried to follow you, but I think your following function is not working as it should be, you may need to look at that, I will be back to try again.

    ReplyDelete
  3. A beautiful collectionl, thank you!
    Adolphe La Lyre is out of fashion, but will never be forgotten.
    We visited his home recently, some images here.
    http://www.normandythenandnow.com/lost-sirens-of-carteret/

    ReplyDelete

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