The Abduction of Europa

In 1908 Félix Vallotton painted The Abduction of Europa, an oil on canvas now held by the Kunstmuseum Bern, the Museum of Fine Arts in Bern. From the early twentieth century the Franco-Swiss artist turned more and more to mythological subjects, and this work was shown that same year at the Salon d'Automne in Paris, held at the Grand Palais. The story comes from the myth in which Zeus, disguised as a bull, carries Europa from a shore in southern Lebanon to Crete, the island whose name would later be given to the continent.

Vallotton frames the scene with great restraint. The young woman, fair-haired and nude, is seen from behind; she clings to the bull's horns and shields her eyes with one arm, while one of her legs wraps around the god's body. The animal swims forward, and its dark hide sets off the rosy tone of her skin, so that she seems to rise out of its back. In the background a mountain stands against a twilight sky, and a large cloud fills the right side. The foam trailing behind the bull forms curving patterns that recall arabesque ornament, a detail that gives the scene a decorative rhythm rather than a dramatic one.

Painter

Félix Vallotton

Date

1908

Medium

oil paint, canvas

Dimensions

130 × 162 cm

Museum

Kunstmuseum Bern, Bern

Genre

mythological painting, nude

Depicts

Europa, kidnapping, Zeus, woman, bull

Share:FacebookWhatsApp