Pygmalion and Galatea

At the end of his career, Gerome became increasingly interested in polychrome sculpture. The present picture and a life-size marble (Hearst Monument, San Simeon), both executed about 1890, illustrate a story from Ovid's Metamorphoses. The artist chose the moment when the Cypriot sculptor Pygmalion's wish was granted by Venus. The statue of Galatea that he had created came to life and responded to his love. In an interview Gerome said that he hoped his treatment of the theme would "rejuvenate" a hackneyed subject. He added the apparition of Eros with his bow and arrow, which is not mentioned in Ovid's account of the legend. Comparison of the handling to that of a work of the sixties or seventies will indicate a slightly looser touch and a less precise rendering of form. (Metropolitan Museum of Art, website; 7/13/2005)