George Frederic Watts - The Minotaur - Google Art Project

''The Minotaur'' is an 1885 painting by the English painter

George Frederic Watts George Frederic Watts (23 February 1817, in London – 1 July 1904) was a British painter and sculptor associated with the Symbolist movement. He said "I paint ideas, not things." Watts became famous in his lifetime for his allegorical work ...

. It depicts the Minotaur from

Greek mythology A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the origin and nature of the world, the lives and activities ...

as he waits for his young sacrificial victims to arrive by ship. It is an allegorical comment to child prostitution, an issue brought to attention by W. T. Stead in 1885. The painting has been in the collection of

Tate Britain Tate Britain, known from 1897 to 1932 as the National Gallery of British Art and from 1932 to 2000 as the Tate Gallery, is an art museum on Millbank in the City of Westminster in London, England. It is part of the Tate network of galleries in ...

since 1897.

Background

''The Minotaur'' was most likely inspired by an article series by W. T. Stead titled "

The Maiden Tribute of Modern Babylon "The Maiden Tribute of Modern Babylon" was a series of newspaper articles on child prostitution that appeared in ''The Pall Mall Gazette'' in July 1885. Written by the paper's crusading editor W. T. Stead, the series was a ''tour de force'' of ...

", published in the ''

Pall Mall Gazette ''The Pall Mall Gazette'' was an evening newspaper founded in London on 7 February 1865 by George Murray Smith; its first editor was Frederick Greenwood. In 1921, '' The Globe'' merged into ''The Pall Mall Gazette'', which itself was absorbed in ...

'' in July 1885. Stead was the leading advocate against child prostitution in London and used the myth of the Minotaur and

human sacrifice Human sacrifice is the act of killing one or more humans as part of a ritual, which is usually intended to please or appease gods, a human ruler, an authoritative/priestly figure or spirits of dead ancestors or as a retainer sacrifice, wherein ...

s as an allegory in his article series. His journalism was groundbreaking and controversial with its investigative methods that included the purchase of a 13-year-old girl from her parents. The articles contributed to the passing of the

Criminal Law Amendment Act 1885 The Criminal Law Amendment Act 1885 ( 48 & 49 Vict. c.69), or "An Act to make further provision for the Protection of Women and Girls, the suppression of brothels, and other purposes," was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, the lat ...

, which changed the age of consent from 13 to 16 and criminalised homosexuality. According to

' friend Mrs Russell Barrington, Watts painted ''The Minotaur'' in response to "a painful subject" brought to attention by an article in an evening newspaper, believed by art historians to be one of Stead's articles. Watts made the painting quickly in one morning.

Subject and composition

The Minotaur, a monster from

who is half man and half bull, is seen half from behind, looking out over the sea behind a

parapet A parapet is a barrier that is an extension of the wall at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony, walkway or other structure. The word comes ultimately from the Italian ''parapetto'' (''parare'' 'to cover/defend' and ''petto'' 'chest/breast'). ...

in yellow sunlight. The monster is depicted as a red, muscular figure with a bull's head, hoof-like fists and a tail. According to the myth, the Minotaur lived on the island of

Crete Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, ...

and the mainland Athenians were compelled to regularly ship seven of their young men and seven virgin girls for him to eat. The painting shows the Minotaur as he waits for the ship to arrive. One of his fists leans on the parapet and holds a small, crushed bird, which symbolises youthful innocence and purity. Watts said at the first exhibition of ''The Minotaur'' that he wanted to "hold up to detestation the bestial and brutal". The painting is made with oil paint on canvas and measures .

Provenance

''The Minotaur'' was first shown at the 1885 Liverpool Autumn exhibition. In 1897, Watts gave ''The Minotaur'' and seventeen other paintings, including ''

Mammon Mammon in the New Testament of the Bible is commonly thought to mean money, material wealth, or any entity that promises wealth, and is associated with the greedy pursuit of gain. The Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke both quote Jesus us ...

'' (1885), to the National Gallery of British Art, later renamed Tate Britain.

Legacy

Jorge Luis Borges Jorge Francisco Isidoro Luis Borges Acevedo (; ; 24 August 1899 – 14 June 1986) was an Argentine short-story writer, essayist, poet and translator, as well as a key figure in Spanish-language and international literature. His best-known b ...

discovered ''The Minotaur'' through a book about Watts by G. K. Chesterton and it inspired him to write the short story " The House of Asterion" (1947). Borges' story is from the perspective of the Minotaur who describes his solitary life.

Notes

References

Citations

Sources

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External links

"The Maiden Tribute of Modern Babylon I: the Report of our Secret Commission"
at the W.T. Stead Resource Site {{DEFAULTSORT:Minotaur 1885 paintings Paintings by George Frederic Watts Paintings depicting Greek myths Collection of the Tate galleries Works about child prostitution Works about prostitution in the United Kingdom