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Venus with the mirror
Venus with Faun
Venus and Adonis
The Graces
Self portrait
Cupid Lubomirski
Creugante
Theseus winner of the Centaur
Love and Psyche
Theseus on the Minotaur
Dancer with hands on hips
Dancer with her finger to her chin
The surprise
The Graces and Venus dance in front of Mars
Paolina Borghese Bonaparte as the winning Venus
Portrait of Antonio Canova
Cephalus and Procris
Venus and Mars
Venus with the mirror
Venus with Faun
Venus and Adonis
The Graces
Self portrait
Cupid Lubomirski
Creugante
Theseus winner of the Centaur
Love and Psyche
Theseus on the Minotaur
Dancer with hands on hips
Dancer with her finger to her chin
The surprise
The Graces and Venus dance in front of Mars
Paolina Borghese Bonaparte as the winning Venus
Portrait of Antonio Canova
Cephalus and Procris
Venus and Mars

Theseus on the Minotaur

Antonio Canova

Displayed in:

Canova Museum

Canova Museum

Via A. Canova, 74, Possagno

Open now from 09:30 to 18:00

Verified profile

Theseus on the Minotaur is a sculptural work created by Antonio Canova between 1781 and 1783 and the marble version is currently exhibited in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Theseus is sitting on his opponent in an act of triumph: he is holding the club with which he knocked down the biform being. The Minotaur is outstretched and bloodless: he lies lifeless, in an unnatural pose. This is considered as the first work in which Canova wanted to associate the study of nature with the observations made in Rome on classical works; for the history of art it is a turning point. The change of style consists precisely in the synthesis of the beauty of nature with the ideal beauty, the key to neoclassicism. The comparison of this work with the last work of the Venetian period Daedalus and Icarus makes the change more effective: father and son are represented through a notable attention to expressive, real and human data. On the other hand, with Theseus and the Minotaur, the search for an idealized and perfect beauty worthy of a Greek hero stands out, which is achieved only thanks to Canova's studies on proportions and the human figure. In Theseus we recognize a “placid physiognomy, worthy of a hero who nobly takes pleasure in having won, which is of no great importance to him; the character of the Minotaur is in contrast to that of Theseus, and is in harmony with the whole of the work "TO CONTINUE THE SEARCH: Theseus, hero of Attica and son of the Athenian king Aegean, was famous for his sensitivity and his force. His father decided to test him from an early age, hiding his sandals and sword under a massive rock. Only when the boy was able to lift the stone block and take back his belongings could he go to Athens and become king of the city. At sixteen his mother took him to the appointed place and Theseus passed the test effortlessly and with pride. Once he took his father's place, however, he realized an unpleasant truth: every year his city was forced to deliver 14 young Athenians (7 boys and 7 girls) to the Minotaur. This monstrous beast was locked in a very complicated labyrinth created by Daedalus on the island of Crete and ate only on the bodies of poor people who had been ill. Theseus wanted to attempt the incredible feat of facing the Minotaur to free his homeland from the nightmare that oppressed it. So he prepared the expedition and trained with the heaviest weapons, but only thanks to the cunning of the Cretan princess Ariadne was he able to be successful. In fact, she taught him that, in order not to lose the right way back, it was enough to unroll a ball of thread along the way. Listening to his words, Theseus accomplished the fearsome undertaking and his people were forever grateful to him.
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Details

Title: Theseus on the Minotaur

Author: Antonio Canova

Date:

Technique: Gesso

Displayed in: Canova Museum

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