Ulysses And The Sirens
1880
Edward Calvert captures the deadly allure of Homer's Odyssey with a loose, almost sketch-like intensity that feels incredibly modern for 1880. Three Sirens perch on jagged rocks, their pale bodies glowing against the dark earth as they beckon the sailor below. Ulysses stands in his boat, seemingly entranced and reaching out toward the women, ignoring the danger of the crashing waves. Calvert, a key figure in the 'Ancients' group who predated the Pre-Raphaelites, was obsessed with classical beauty and the spiritual visions of William Blake. In the original myth, the Sirens' song was so sweet that sailors would steer their ships onto the rocks to get closer, leading to a gruesome end—luckily for Ulysses, he had his crew plug their ears with wax!