Orpheus Leading Eurydice from the Underworld 1861

Camille Corot painted Orpheus Leading Eurydice from the Underworld using oil on canvas. Corot, working in 19th century France, draws upon the ancient Greek myth of Orpheus, the musician who charms Hades into releasing his dead wife Eurydice, but on one condition: that he cannot look back at her until they both reach the upper world. This story was often used to explore the relationship between art and the world. The myth itself has long been viewed through the lens of the artist's struggle to bring beauty and meaning into a world marked by loss and impermanence. The painting reflects a cultural fascination with classical themes that often served to legitimize and ennoble the present. But Corot's hazy, dreamlike style veers away from academic precision, blurring the line between the real and the ideal, the present and the past. To understand it better we could look at the writings of art critics of the time, the exhibition reviews, the artist's personal letters, and the records of the institutions that displayed his work.