Eleanor Antin Troy: Myth & Reality

Aug 22, 2024

Eleanor Antin’s tableau vivant is based on a famous painting by Peter Paul Rubens showing the Judgement of Paris – the moment when, according to Homer, the Trojan prince Paris first sowed discord among the gods on Olympus, setting in motion the events that led to ten years of war between the Greeks and the Trojans. Through her witty choice of costumes, Antin suggests that, though we no longer believe in archetypal gods and goddesses, certain modern stereotypes might not be so very different from the ancient past – Athena, goddess of war, morphs into the Tomb Raider while Hera, goddess of marriage and birth, is represented as a ’50s housewife.

Read more here.