Mark Krzepis

Odysseus and the Sirens

Illustration
2023
Acrylic gouache, coloured pencils, and graphite on wood panel
16”x20”
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.”

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Odysseus and the Sirens
Odysseus and the Sirens
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2023, PULPIT: Myths, Malice, & Murder
The Drake Hotel, Toronto

Work by

Mark Krzepis aka. Krzepism

Illustration

“'PVLPIT' takes motifs from Neoclassical paintings and transforms them into pieces of ephemeral lowbrow illustration. Each work focuses on conventions that both high and low art exploit to reveal a...” [More]