Pluto and Persephone 

Edmund Dulac created this illustration of Pluto and Persephone, likely sometime in the first half of the 20th century. The image depicts Pluto’s abduction of Persephone, and immediately we are confronted with a complex set of social dynamics. Dulac, a French-born artist working in Britain, made his career illustrating classic stories. Here, he gives us his vision of a Greek myth that was well known across Europe. The picture creates meaning through a mix of visual codes. It is the dark power of Pluto against the floral innocence of Persephone, a theme that would have spoken to the Edwardian era. The early 20th century was also the age of Freud and psychoanalysis, so the image is one that brings together the traditional themes with an awareness of the dark forces of the subconscious. This gives us a glimpse of how classical culture could be re-imagined in modern times. To properly understand this image, we could research Dulac’s career as an illustrator, as well as looking at how ideas about sexuality and myth were evolving at the time.