11.07.2024

New EGO article: "Model Hercules" by Valerie Mainz

The article "Model Hercules" by Valerie Mainz has been published in English on Europäische Geschichte Online (EGO) under the auspices of the IEG.
Hercules, the semi-divine hero of classical myth, has served as a model in many ways in both art and politics. This article has its focus on the changing reception of the figure of Hercules in Europe from 1450 until 1815, particularly in the fine arts and examines the role of visual imagery in particular social and cultural contexts.

Despite the manifold forms and media in which Hercules has been represented – in marble or bronze, on canvas or in print – certain characteristics remain constant to make the figure into a model of virtue from a lost golden age of antiquity. Furthermore, this classical tradition was transmitted within distinctive emerging national cultures of patriotism under princely rulers for whom the model of Hercules proved to be an attractive form of branding. Debates in aesthetic theory and in the training of artists over the relative merits of ancients and moderns also contributed to the dissemination of the model. Over time, Hercules came, however, to be perceived not only as a heroic figure but as a flawed individual who had used immoderate force. This seeming super-virility exposed him to being depicted comically, as a figure of fun.