Andromeda was the human sacrificial lamb / archetypal damsel in distress in a classical narrative of female envy and patriarchal tyranny, that is BC and very non-PC.
Cassiopeia, the queen of Ethiopia, had compared her daughter favourably to the Nereids, who symbolise everything that is beautiful and kind about the sea. These nymphs didn’t take kindly to this, however, and their father Poseidon unleashed floods and a sea monster on Ethiopia in retaliation. The only way for King Cepheus out of this mess was to offer his innocent daughter to the sea monster instead. Such injustice! Luckily she is rescued by her airborne saviour Perseus, who swoops in riding Pegasus in one rendition, and on winged sandals in another. He thus becomes the archetypal knight in shining armour (‘knight on a white horse’, as we say in Dutch).
In less woke times, this rather horrible scene has been depicted many times. I have drawn it in a way that is both minimal and expressive. Here and there I even sacrificed some of the naturalism in order to achieve the right expression, keeping just enough to ground the piece. Both the sea monster coming to get her, and her winged saviour are represented, but I merely implied them, so as not to distract from her and the position she is enduring.
The relevance of this image today, is the fact that even in these enlightened times for some, she still can serve as a patron saint for a mind boggling number of girls worldwide who are sold off as brides, who are genitally mutilated, and who 'naturally' come second to any male.
Being an Ethiopian princes, she (probably) was dark skinned (.. at least sunburnt) but I needed the contrast against the dark rocks.
Pastel on pastel mat
80 x 70 cm (28"x 32") framed
65 x 50 cm (26”x 20”) paper size
62 x 49 cm image size
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The frame shown in the second image is included in the price. I recommend taking this work to a good framer and have them add matting and Clarity Glass, for maximum protection (UV and atmospheric influences) and minimal reflection. In that state, the colours of this pastel drawing will outlast those of any oil painting.
