Mark Krzepis

Odysseus and the Sirens

Book XII of Homer’s Odyssey depicted as a 1930s detective pulp

“Historically the sirens are representations of temptation; they lure starved and weary travelers like Odysseus with their songs. Neoclassical interpretations of this story do not differ from the Pulp trope of the 'femme fatale.' The scene portrays the Greeks as sailors and the Sirens dressed almost as lounge singers outside of a cabaret. The irony of the situation is apparent to the viewer but not the subjects in the background — a compositional storytelling element utilized by the academic painters and lowly magazine illustrators of the mid-century.”