Customizable
Created and Sold by Claire Stapleton
Daphne and Apollo - Paintings
Featured In Daphnes Bar Taverna, Auckland, New Zealand
Unavailable
‘Apollo & Daphne’ 2021
Original
Commission for Daphnes Restaurant
1.1m x 1.1m
Acrylic on raw canvas
Daphne & Apollo: The Huntress & the God
This work captures the moment when Apollo catches Daphne, and she transforms into a Laurel tree (Daphne in Greek). Her hair becomes leaves, her arms branches and her face turned away, never to be seen by Apollo again.
I wanted to show the connection between the two as they touch, a connection that changed both lives under the ancient Greek sun. Using the simplicity of the single line to contrast against the complexity of the metamorphosis and intense emotion in this famous encounter.
The viewer shouldn’t see The Daphne Tree with sadness but instead strength. Daphne was a huntress but because of Eros, the god of love, and his trick on Apollo and Daphne, she had become the prey. In the end, becoming The Daphne Tree, she controls her own fate. Which, not even the gods could take from her.
The raw Sienna colour was chosen for The Daphne Tree as it is a natural earth pigment. It is symbolic of Daphne’s emotional strength and medicinal to her rejuvenation. The theme of transformation is also considered in the colour – as this myth is one of tragedy, but the viewer can feel a sense of warmth and positivity in The Daphne Tree.
Original
Commission for Daphnes Restaurant
1.1m x 1.1m
Acrylic on raw canvas
Daphne & Apollo: The Huntress & the God
This work captures the moment when Apollo catches Daphne, and she transforms into a Laurel tree (Daphne in Greek). Her hair becomes leaves, her arms branches and her face turned away, never to be seen by Apollo again.
I wanted to show the connection between the two as they touch, a connection that changed both lives under the ancient Greek sun. Using the simplicity of the single line to contrast against the complexity of the metamorphosis and intense emotion in this famous encounter.
The viewer shouldn’t see The Daphne Tree with sadness but instead strength. Daphne was a huntress but because of Eros, the god of love, and his trick on Apollo and Daphne, she had become the prey. In the end, becoming The Daphne Tree, she controls her own fate. Which, not even the gods could take from her.
The raw Sienna colour was chosen for The Daphne Tree as it is a natural earth pigment. It is symbolic of Daphne’s emotional strength and medicinal to her rejuvenation. The theme of transformation is also considered in the colour – as this myth is one of tragedy, but the viewer can feel a sense of warmth and positivity in The Daphne Tree.
Item Daphne and Apollo
Created by Claire Stapleton
As seen in Daphnes Bar Taverna, Auckland, New Zealand