Leda and the Swan: art, myth, poetry
The classic mythological story of Leda and the Swan is a very popular subject of art history, inspiring artists like Matisse, Cezanne, Gerome, and Cignaroli, and poets like Yeats and Rilke.
It's a multi-layered story told many ways. The gist is this: Zeus fell in love (or lust) with Leda, the beautiful (and married) queen of Spartan. To seduce her, he disguised himself as a swan. Thus, she bore the children of the gods.
Artists were moved by the complex themes of the story: love, jealousy, fate, transformation, desire, disguise, infidelity, and power, as well as by the opportunity to explore favourite subjects like beautiful women and erotica. However, modern feminist scholars and artists are addressing the underlying themes of consent, assault, and sexual violence.
Join us for this fascinating survey as we take a fresh look at the story, some poems, and a wide variety of ancient and contemporary artworks of Leda and the Swan.
We will also take inspiration from several artworks to create our own poetry or fiction on the relevant themes.
Content warning: many of the paintings of Leda and the Swan are sexually explicit and/or show sexual assault.