images From The Classical World
Hebe, Goddess of Youth
Classical References
By contrast, in the painting of Achilles and Patroclus, I represented Patroclus with a darker skin, and correspondingly darker hair.
For my representation of Hebe I used many classical references:
Nonnus, Dionysiaca 27. 241 ff : ‘Hebe with her lovely hair’
Philostratus the Elder, Imagines 2. 20 ‘Beautiful Hebe (Youth) . . . the youngest of the gods and the one most revered by them’
Pindar, Nemean Ode 10. 17 ff : ‘Hebe (Youth) fairest of all the goddesses’
Hebe is often described as gold shod, and her head as gleaming, flame haired and shapely ankled. On vases she is often portrayed in a red colour. I used these descriptions as the basis of the treatment I applied to the damaged marble of Hebe that was my primary visual reference.
The Oceanid Hesione
The symbolic significance of gold
For the Oceanid Hesione, I used part of the sculpture by Eduard Muller (Prometheus Bound and the Oceanids) from the National Gallery in Berlin, as my inspiration. I used 24 carat gold leaf to represent the rain, as Zeus, in the form of an eagle fights the nymph.
The application of gold leaf symbolises the era of classical richness, and honours and respects the divinity of the gods. On some paintings it is used as a base, anchoring the bust on a solid ground, in others the gold is fractured, mirroring the damage that time has wrought upon the ancient marbles.