The Flight of the Centaur Nessus with Dejanina n.d.

François Verdier created this drawing, "The Flight of the Centaur Nessus with Dejanira," sometime between the late 17th and early 18th centuries. It's rendered in pen and brown ink, with grey wash, over graphite on cream laid paper. The scene depicts a moment from classical mythology. The centaur Nessus attempts to abduct Dejanira, the wife of Hercules, but Hercules shoots him with an arrow. Verdier was associated with the French Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture, an institution that promoted classical subjects and styles. In this drawing, we see the formal influence of that institution in the idealized bodies and dramatic composition. But the image also speaks to the social dynamics of the time. The theme of abduction was popular in art, often reflecting anxieties about social order and sexual violence. To fully understand this work, we might research the role of the Academy in shaping artistic taste, as well as period attitudes toward mythology and gender relations. Art history helps us to understand the complex interplay between artistic conventions and cultural values.