Marsyas drawing the Syrinx from the river 1535 - 1545

Editor: We're looking at "Marsyas drawing the Syrinx from the river," a pen and ink drawing by Niccolò Vicentino, dating from around 1535 to 1545. It has a dreamlike quality, the sepia tones creating a hazy, mythical atmosphere. What strikes you about this piece? Curator: The persistence of the classical narratives! Marsyas, the satyr who dared to challenge Apollo, and the Syrinx myth, a nymph transformed into reeds to escape Pan – Vicentino’s choice to depict this specific moment resonates with cultural memory. Observe how Marsyas, almost a mirror of ourselves, literally ‘draws’ the instrument into existence. Does that strike you as an active reclaiming, a birth, or something else entirely? Editor: I see what you mean. It's like he’s pulling a symbol, a memory, from the river itself. Do you think there's any connection between that act of drawing the pipes and drawing with pen and ink? Curator: Absolutely! Vicentino uses the very act of artistic creation to explore Marsyas' creative act. Think of the power imbued in those lines, how the myth itself gains renewed form each time an artist engages with it. Notice too, the landscape's gentle curve and wash. Landscape, like memory, contains many potential forms awaiting the activating gesture. What continuity can we intuit? Editor: So it’s not just about the myth itself, but also about how art keeps these stories alive. Thanks, it makes me see the piece in a totally different light. Curator: Precisely, we’re always interpreting, rediscovering, through symbols like these. Art constantly revives shared memories. It shows the potential, as both viewers and creators, for each of us to find our pipes by the riverside and create something entirely new from them.