Mythological paintings

  • Origin of the Milky Way, 2015 60 x 50ins (150 x 123cm)

Painters in the Renaissance often used mythological scenes to express complex ideas and emotions. But so-called ‘history painting’ or istoria has long since fallen out of fashion. Yet as a mode of expression, history painting has advantages over verbal argument since like poetry the formal devices of a painting can hold many interpretations in play simultaneously. My ‘Origin of the Milky Way’ was originally intended as an illustration to a book so I could disregard its violation of the norms of twenty-first century art.