Apollo
Alexander Kiselyov, Hyacinth Dying in the Hands of Apollo, 1884, National Museum in Warsaw, Warszawa, Poland, oil on canvas.
Meg Weisskamp
Alexander Kiselyov was a Russian landscape artist who painted the famous Hyacinth Dying in the Hands of Apollo in 1884. The painting depicts a dying Hyacinthus who had just been struck with a discus, and a sad Apollo holding him in his death. While this painting is very much about Hyacinthus and his death, I think this painting also does a great job at showing Apollo for who he is, as well as the type of god he was. I think that this painting helps in showing both the physical and metaphorical strength of Apollo, along with showing just what type of god he was.
Apollo is the son of Zeus and the god of many things, including music, the sun and healing. Hyacinthus was a friend and lover of Apollo, but unlike Apollo he was not a god and was mortal. The story behind this famous painting is that Apollo and Hyacinthus were in a friendly competition with one another throwing spears and discus’ to see who could throw the farthest. In this competition, Apollo threw his discus, accidentally striking Hyacinthus and killing him (Lenardon, Morford, Sham, pg. 260) . In the painting we see Apollo on one knee holding up Hyacinthus by his neck, almost cradling him in his death. This is where I think we can see just how physically strong Apollo is. While it is a small show of his strength, I do think it was done intentionally by Kiselyov to remind the viewer just what Apollo is. Him lightly holding up a limp Hyacinthus with one hand reminds us that Apollo is a god, and with that comes immortal strength.
While Apollo cradling a dying Hyacinthus in his arms is a subtle nod to his physical strength, I also think it shows just what type of god Apollo was. Hyacinthus was a normal human being, and would have been considered nothing special to most other gods or goddesses. But Apollo did not care that he was mortal, and found a great friendship and love with him, “the great god neglected his other duties in order to be in the company of his beloved” (Lenardon, Morford, Sham, pg. 260). Apollo leaning down and comforting him in his death shows how much respect he had for Hyacinthus, and that he saw him as an equal. We also see Apollo looking down on Hyacinthus with pain and guilt in his eyes. He is looking Hyacinthus in the eyes and there is a deep sadness in his face, knowing that there is nothing he can do but watch his closest companion die. Without any context, the viewer would be able to see that Apollo was also experiencing his own type of pain, and that he was losing someone very special to him.
One last aspect of the painting that I found to be interesting was the way Apollo was draped in a red cloth, and Hyacinthus draped in a white cloth. Although Hyacinthus was the one dying, he was draped in a white cloth to remind the viewer of his innocence and mortality, almost making him angelic. I think draping the red cloth over Apollo was done to show the viewer that although he wasn’t the one literally bleeding and dying, in his own way he still was. Although Apollo was immortal, a part of him did die when he realized he caused the death of his friend that he loved so much. Applying these different colored cloths to both Apollo and Hyacinthus is another example of how Kiselyov tried to represent both the mortality and immortality of these two men.
Alexander Kiselyov’s painting Hyacinth Dying in the Hands of Apollo does more than simply show the death of Hyacinthus. It reminds the viewer of the different strengths and emotions of the god Apollo. Even without background or context the viewer is able to understand the pain and sorrow that Hyacinthus’ death brings to Apollo. It also reminds the viewer that Apollo was a god who did not see himself as above humans by showing the love and pain he has for Hyacinthus.
Cameron Arreola
In Hyacinth Dying in the Hands of Apollo, Russian landscape painter, Alexander Kiselyov, depicts both the beauty and tragedy of Apollo and Hyacinthus' relationship while providing a new perspective on Apollo's narrative. It is said that Hyacinthus was a beautiful Spartan prince who was loved by both Apollo and Zephyrus, the god of the west wind. Hyacinthus ultimately chooses Apollo, which results in Zephyrus' jealousy. When Hyacinthus and Apollo were playing discus, Zephyrus blew Apollo's discus off course, striking Hyacinthus in the head and killing him. Apollo held his dying lover’s head in his arms but could do nothing to change the destiny inflicted by the Fates.
With his red cape, Apollo is easily recognizable in the painting, and the composition focuses on Apollo holding a dying Hyacinthus. Besides them lies the gold discus which was the cause of his death. Behind Hyacinthus are flowers. As the myth goes, Apollo transforms Hyacinthus into a larkspur flower (known today as a hyacinth). The torsos of the two bodies are parallel to each other, suggesting a connection, which helps portray a significant relationship between the two. Apollo’s actions further emphasize their relationship through the physical touch that is shown. The artist successfully captures the scene of Hyacinthus dying through the facial expressions of the two figures. Hyacinthus appears in pain and looking closer, one can see blood spilling at the top of his head from the discus. On the other hand, Apollo’s face is covered in sorrow. Through deep analysis, the painting’s details allow one to contextualize the scene within the story it is derived from.
The textbook, Classical Mythology, by Mark Morford, describes the complexity of Apollo’s character as, “gentle and vehement, compassionate and ruthless, guilty and guiltless, healer and destroyer.” (Morford, 266). Even as the god of healing, Apollo is unable to aid Hyacinthus. The scene shows the two helpless even though one of them is a god. In Greek mythology, gods and goddesses tend to exist as figures of power who may partake in divine cruelty. The depiction of Apollo in Hyacinth Dying in the Hands of Apollo brings out a vulnerable side of Apollo that may act as atonement to his ruthless narrative. For instance, in the myth of Classical Mythology: “Apollo’s Musical Contest with Marsyas”, Apollo decides to flay Marsyas alive for hubristically challenging him. This painting helps bring out a humanistic characteristic in Apollo by leaving out elaborate features that would evoke his godly qualities. In contrast to the myths and narratives surrounding gods like Apollo, he is shown in a state of vulnerability. Viewers are able to sympathize with the god and the tragedy that was accidentally caused by him.
Hyacinth Dying in the Hands of Apollo brings a new perspective on the god, Apollo, through the illustration of a tragic story. The tragedy of Hyacinthus’ death and the end of a beautiful romantic relationship pushes viewers to set aside past narratives that depict Apollo as ruthless (La Fond 00:32-00:37). There are many myths that expand on this more negative attitude towards the god. There are, however, some myths exist as atonement for Apollo’s narrative. Hyacinth Dying in the Hands of Apollo enlightens viewers on the more redeemable qualities of Apollo.
Works Cited
Barnes, Jake. “The Myth of Hyacinth: Story, Lesson, and Writing Prompt” August 5, 2021. https://medium.com/@writerclaytonbradshaw/the-myth-of-hyacinth-story-lesson-and-writing-prompt-e07be9d0d334
Kiselyov, Alexander. “Hyacinth Dying in the Hands of Apollo” 1884. National Museum in Warsaw, Warszawa, Poland.
“Lecture #3: Bows, Beats, Bearing Prophecies: Apollo” 4 Jan. 2022, https://canvas.uw.edu/courses/1514816/pages/lesson-4-video-lectures?module_item_id=1466158
Lenardon, Robert J., Morford, Mark, Sham, Miachel. “Classical Mythology 11th Edition”, Oxford University Press, June 27th, 2018.
GreekMythology.com, The Editors of Website. "Apollo", April 7, 2021. https://www.greekmythology.com/Olympians/Apollo/apollo.html.
Miller, Madeline. Madeline Miller, 12 Dec. 2011, http://madelinemiller.com/myth-of-the-week-hyacinthus/.