Pan and Syrinx by Attributed to Giuseppe Bazzani

Pan and Syrinx c. 1760

drawing

natural stone pattern

wood texture

toned paper

tile art

carved into stone

earthy tone

coffee painting

underpainting

wooden texture

italy

watercolor

This drawing, attributed to Giuseppe Bazzani, depicts the Greek myth of Pan and Syrinx. Pan, the god of the wild, attempts to grab Syrinx, a nymph, who flees from his advances. The drawing was created sometime around 1760, during Bazzani’s later career. The artist’s use of brown ink and dramatic lines captures the tension and movement of the scene. The artwork is currently housed at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. The drawing is a beautiful example of how artists can use their skills to bring ancient myths to life.

Comments

minneapolisinstituteofart about 1 year ago

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This commotion of dark splotches of wash and scribbled lines is an exquisite study of light and shadow. Fleeing the lusty satyr Pan, the nymph Syrinx was trapped at a river’s edge and begged her father, the river-god Ladon, and her two sisters (shown in the foreground) to rescue her. Just as Pan grasped her, she was transformed into reeds, leaving him with only the sound of the wind blowing through the reeds, which inspired him to make his pipes. Here, Syrinx’s transformation has begun, described in fluid pen strokes that elongate her hands and rise around her head. The fiery, rapid handling and uninhibited messiness suggest this drawing was a personal exercise in creative exploration. Although the name Trevisani is inscribed on the sheet by a later hand, the work is more likely by the 18th-century Mantuan artist Giuseppe Bazzani. An idiosyncratic designer, Bazzani favored dreamlike settings with gracefully posed figures arranged bizarrely in the composition and often partially obscured by mounds of earth or a vaporous atmosphere.