A bold watercolor of two light-skinned Muses descending from a dramatic moon-filled sky, one dressed in orange robes and holding a lyre floats above the unclothed other holding a staff.

Gustave Moreau

Hésiode (Hesiod)

Maker

Gustave Moreau (French, 1826-1898)

Title

Hésiode (Hesiod)

Year

early 1880s

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Materials

gouache, watercolor, graphite

Supports

Dimensions

34.9 x 20 cm (13 3/4 x 7 7/8 inches)

Signature / Inscription / Marks

Signed in red gouache, LL: "Gustave Moreau"; inscribed LR: "Hésiode"

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Gift of Mrs. Gustav Radeke

Object Number

28.005

Type

Publications

Exhibition History

Drawing Closer
Four Hundred Years of Drawing from the RISD Museum
Mar 12, 2022 – Sep 04, 2022

Label copy

Boasting the saturated intensity of a manuscript illumination or a stained-glass window, this drawing vibrates with chromatic energy. To bring forth this dreamlike scene of the Greek poet Hesiod receiving inspiration from a Muse, Gustave Moreau layered graphite, ink, transparent watercolor, and thickly applied opaque watercolor, creating a shimmering, encrusted surface. With its complex use of color and dense application of media, this work epitomizes Moreau’s approach to watercolor as a rich fusion of drawing and painting.

Edgar Degas
Six Friends at Dieppe
Sep 16, 2005 – Jan 15, 2006
Prints and Drawings with a Classical Reference
Dec 15, 1965 – Jan 09, 1966

Image use

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Public Domain This object is in the Public Domain and available under a CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

Tombstone

Gustave Moreau (French, 1826-1898)
Hésiode (Hesiod), early 1880s
Watercolor and opaque watercolor with touches of graphite on wove paper
34.9 x 20 cm (13 3/4 x 7 7/8 inches)
Gift of Mrs. Gustav Radeke 28.005

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