Pygmalion and the Image - The Heart Desires
Artist: Edward Burne-Jones (English, 1833-1898)
Date: 1878
Medium: Oil on canvas
Collection: Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery, Birmingham, England
Description
Pygmalion and the Image is the second series of four oil paintings in the Pygmalion and Galatea series by the British Pre-Raphaelite artist Edward Burne-Jones which was completed between 1875 and 1878.
Pygmalion and Galatea I: The Heart Desires
The story tells of Pygmalion, a sculptor of Cyprus, the birthplace of Aphrodite. It was first related in Ovid's Metamorphoses, although by the time of this series, William Morris had written his own version of the story.
Pygmalion is seen here in his studio, pondering his lonely life, having chosen to remain celibate in disgust at what he saw as the debauched lifestyles of the local women. The statues behind him (in emulation of the Three Graces) echo the curious women peering in through his doorway. All five seem fluid, languorous and unself-conscious. Pygmalion, looking above the proliferation of ankles, thighs and buttocks reflected on the floor and pedestal in front of him, is pondering his next creation. His gaze ignores the women around him as he sees in his mind a statue of the perfect female.
