Orpheus and Eurydice

This painting tells the story of Orpheus, a super talented musician from old Greek myths. His wife, Eurydice, had died, and he missed her so much that he went all the way down to the underworld which is the land of the dead to bring her back. He played his music so beautifully that even Hades, the god who rules the underworld, and his wife, Proserpine, were moved and agreed to let Eurydice go but only if Orpheus didn’t look back at her until they were both completely out. In the picture, you can see Orpheus leading Eurydice while Hades and Proserpine watch from the top left. On the other side, there are three mysterious women called the Fates. They’re spinning threads that represent people’s lives and hint that something bad might happen. Sadly, just before they were out, Orpheus got nervous and looked back breaking the rule and Eurydice disappeared forever. The artist Jean Raoux painted it like a scene from a play with dramatic lighting and focus on the main characters and since parts of the painting were cut off in the early 1900s it looks even more focused and intense.