Greek Mythology as an Artistic Approach to Contemporary Libyan Painting

Abstract

This study explores the influence of religious beliefs on Greek art, alongside natural and political factors. It highlights the central focus on the idealized image of the human being, which led artists to concentrate on anatomy and figuration as a means of expressing the sanctity of the body.

In Greek mythology, Libya was depicted within a symbolic framework as a land of blessings and a crowner of kings, as evidenced in the relief of De Carpus and the statues of the Three Beauties of Cyrene. In contemporary Libyan art, these mythological symbols are reinterpreted in local contexts, appearing in works such as Adel Al-Mayar’s The Three Beauties of Cyrene, Cyrene Honored by the Deified Libya, and The Legend of the Golden Apples, which collectively embody themes of beauty, heroism, and knowledge. Similarly, Faraj Saad Jibril drew inspiration from the symbolic representation of women in his work The Three Dancers, executed in a distinctively local style. Adel Jarbou’s The Three Musicians reflected mythological elements through a Cubist vision, while Sondos Kashad, in The Legend of Cyrene, presented an interpretation that conveys feminine courage in a classical expressionist style.