Diana and Endymion: A Contextual Analysis

Painter Jean Honoré Fragonard once again showed his exemplary talent in painting when he
created an illustration of Diana and Endymion, a scene in mythology. Endymion is a beautiful youth with
a gift of perpetual youth and perpetual sleep given by the god Zeus or the equivalent of Jupiter in
Roman mythology. Diana on the other hand was the moon. Though many versions of this story
circulated in the Renaissance era, Fragonard’s creation was regarded as one of the best. In his
masterpiece, you can see how Diana was portrayed as a beautiful lady accompanied by a cupid, floating
in the air as it should since her character was the moon. While Endymion, is a boy with the shouting aura
of a youth and mesmerizing beauty. You can see the faint moon at the back of Diana which resembles
her character as well as the different hues and shades of blue that completes the sky. It is said that the
blue color represents peace, tranquility, and seduction. As Diana was seduced by the beauty of the
young man, she kissed him and if you will observe the cupid on the side, his arrow was pointing directly
at Endymion.

In the context of Greek mythology, there are numerous accounts where mortals are being held
captive in many different ways by the gods or by heavenly bodies portrayed as humans. Most of the
time, these captivities are hidden by a more romanticized way, so the audience only know how to adore
but not to dissect the meaning behind. Diana kissed the sleeping man without having his consent in
doing so, considering the more modern concept of consent that this generation has created. It is stated
in one of the references that Diana only showed his love for the man by also taking care of his flock.
However, I could tell that this is another account of the gods taking advantage of the mortals in a Greek
or Roman mythology.
 But since we are talking about the context of the Greeks or Romans, this painting portrayed the
love between young couples who does not only meet challenges but is also willing to do sacrifices for
their loved ones. This is the love that conquers all no matter how hard it is for the both of them to not
see each other during the night, where the Diana is only available since she is a moon, and Endymion
has fallen asleep since he was bestowed with perpetual sleep by the god of the sky. It is true that this
love aspires more people that to dream in love even if it means an early and welcome death.