Perseus Killing the Dragon by Félix Vallotton (Interpretation and Analysis)

Perseus Killing the Dragon
Source: Wikimedia Commons

A few weeks ago, I wrote about Edward Burne-Jones’ artistic interpretation of the legend of Perseus. Though Burne-Jones’ work is masterful, he was far from the only artist to tackle the subject. The story of Perseus has been a popular subject throughout the history of Western art; however, few artists approached it with as much imagination as the Swiss and French painter Félix Vallotton.

Vallotton, who has been called the painter of disquiet, is known for the direct and authentic quality of his work, which gives his paintings an unprecedented degree of psychological depth.

His painting Perseus Killing the Dragon is an example of this element of his work. The legend of Perseus comes from Greek mythology. It tells the story of the heroic son of Zeus, Perseus, who embarks on a mission to save and marry the princess Andromeda. Vallotton’s painting depicts a moment from the Perseus legend in which the hero saves Andromeda from a monster, which is depicted as a crocodile in this piece.

While mythological paintings are traditionally populated by graceful, beautiful figures in the Western tradition, Vallotton’s approach to the subject is very different. (Side note: there are many examples of more “traditional” approaches to Perseus and Andromeda. Giuseppe Cesari’s Perseus and Andromeda is a good example).

Perseus and Andromeda by Giuseppe Cesari
Source: Wikimedia Commons

Perseus Killing the Dragon captures a sense of gritty realism. Andromeda is portrayed as a rather ordinary woman, hair pinned up in a modern hair style. She crouches on the beach, her back turned to the monster. Her expression conveys her fear and disgust, and—along with her pose—serves to desexualize the character of Andromeda, who is normally a very sensual figure in Western art. Perseus is also nude, an unusual choice for this subject. His body is silhouetted starkly against the sky as he plunges a spear into the body of the “dragon.”

It is an odd and disconcerting painting. Stripped of the mythological drama and fanfare, the legend of Perseus is transformed into a grim and violent struggle for survival, human beings pitted against nature. This drastic change in imagery signals Vallotton’s willingness to challenge convention and his desire to force viewers to question their assumptions about art and the world.

Disclaimer: I’m not an art historian or an expert on this topic. The above is my opinion, based on my interpretation of my foreknowledge of art and history. If I’ve done any additional research, I’ll note it above.