Odysseus in the Underworld. Illustration to Odyssey 1793

John Flaxman created this pen and ink drawing, "Odysseus in the Underworld," as an illustration to Homer’s Odyssey. It demonstrates Flaxman's commitment to neoclassical ideals prevalent in the late 18th century, an era influenced by the Enlightenment's emphasis on reason and order. The image presents a stark scene from Homer, filtered through a refined aesthetic sensibility. Flaxman was working at a time when the institutions of art were being reshaped by new academies and public museums. His style reflects a desire to return to classical principles of clarity, balance, and moral virtue, often seen as a reaction against the perceived excesses of the Baroque and Rococo periods. The social and political upheavals of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars also influenced Flaxman and his contemporaries, leading them to seek timeless values in the art of antiquity. To understand Flaxman’s work fully, one might delve into the archives of the Royal Academy, where he exhibited, or explore publications from the era that debated the role of art in shaping public morality and national identity.