The Revival of the Olympian Gods in Renaissance Art

Book excerpt: This book deals specifically with sixteenth-century depictions of the Olympian deities, the twelve supreme deities of ancient Greece and Rome. As the Renaissance revived several aspects of antiquity, some great works of art represented the Olympians in imitation of the classical style. These deities were rendered as autonomous figures, in the form of representation adapted for depicting saints and Christian rulers. This form of depicting the Olympians, or the pagan gods, was not unanimously accepted by sixteenth-century viewers. The book highlights the problematic framework surrounding the creation, display and acceptance of such thought-provoking works of art.