![]() ![]() When Orpheus travels down to the Underworld to bring her back, he is wearing good clothes, but not wedding attire. This means that she is still in the same clothing that she died in, since she was bitten by a snake on her wedding day. One important detail to note is that Eurydice is wearing a wedding dress. Her expression and lack of color mirrors the spirits in the background, and her limp wrist, clutched by Orpheus, shows that she is not completely conscious and in control. This is because she is still technically dead while in the Underworld. Eurydice, on the other hand, has a blank expression on her face. This is because he is the only living being in the picture. He holds his lyre strongly, and his cape is one of the only warm colors in the painting. Orpheus is walking quickly and with a powerful stride. ![]() If he looks back, she will be gone forever. His eyes are fixed ahead because of his deal with Hades: if he leaves the Underworld without looking back at his wife, she will be able to return to him and to life. His music, capable of bringing even Hades to tears, guides him out of the Underworld just as his singing charmed his way in. Orpheus is known to have been incredibly gifted with the lyre, with some myths suggesting that he was taught by Apollo himself. Orpheus himself holds a lyre in front of him like a beacon. These spirits, clutching each other in sorrow, have been won over by Orpheus’ song. The fogginess in the background of the left side surrounds indistinct figures, which are presumably the spirits of the Underworld. Orpheus and Eurydice, on the right, are leaving the Underworld. However, the background of the piece, especially on the left, is filled with a silvery fog. This painting in particular exhibits a dark atmosphere, and the foreground is composed largely of dark, earthy colors. In many of his works, including this one, he uses browns and blacks along with dark greens, which are known as forbidden colors among impressionists. Corot was an Impressionist, although he took a more traditional approach to his landscapes than most. This painting, titled “Orpheus Leading Eurydice from the Underworld”, was created by Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot in 1861. ![]()
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