Hermes Psychopomps 1898

Editor: So, this is Adolf Hiremy-Hirschl's "Hermes Psychopomps" from 1898, a drawing in pencil and charcoal. It has a wistful, introspective feel to me, but something about the figure's casual pose is also very modern. What catches your eye about this piece? Curator: What intrigues me is the artist’s choice of Hermes, typically a figure of swift movement and divine intervention, rendered in such a state of apparent contemplation and, arguably, vulnerability. The social context of the late 19th century, especially in Vienna where Hirémy-Hirschl worked, was rife with anxieties about modernity, sexuality, and the fading of classical ideals. How does this rendering of a mythological figure play into those anxieties? Editor: That's a great point – he does seem a bit…sluggish, not exactly how I imagine a god. The nude form, though, feels like a deliberate harkening back to classical ideals. Is it a celebration or critique? Curator: Exactly! It's likely both. Academic art was heavily influenced by classical sculpture. Presenting the male nude allowed artists to comment on both ideal beauty, but also on issues surrounding the male gaze and the commodification of the body. Also, the "Hermes Psychopompos," a guide of souls to the afterlife – is that Hirémy-Hirschl suggests this figure’s world of classical myth is on its way to join the dead? How might that commentary been seen? Editor: So, it's more than just a pretty drawing. It’s like the artist used a mythological figure to talk about what was happening in society at the time. A silent commentary. Curator: Precisely. The placement of art in museums or private collections also adds to this political conversation: who gets to determine beauty standards? And what are those standards used to reinforce? Editor: This piece seems much more complex and historically grounded than it did on first glance. Thank you for this historical viewpoint on a beautiful drawing!