Harpy Celaeno – Mary Pownall, 1902
Mary Pownall studied in Rome from 1898 – 1901, which is where she got the inspiration for her marble harpy sculpture.
I added the two photos so you can see the contrast from soft yellow light to a harsher flash. In the first picture presented the harpy could almost be mistaken for a vengeful angel, but in the second photo you can see the details of her talons and claws, her furrowed brow and cold stare.
Although Mary Pownall was a British sculptor, her “Harpy Celaeno” was modeled after Ancient Greek mythology and sculptures. According to Greek mythology, Harpies were female monsters who would cause mischief and torment, especially upon men. What I find beautiful about this, and what I hope I can properly convey to all of you, is that often times in art and culture, strong women can be referred to by foul names and harsh criticism. A harpy to me, at least, signifies an amalgam of strong female characteristics and femininity turned sour by the male dominant culture of Greeks and Romans.
I think it’s so beautiful how she was able to show such emotion through marble sculpting, and how this sculpture can elicit such different emotions in those who look at it.
Sarah's Blog 
I like your interpretation. I’ve always enjoyed Greek mythology and the sculptures they created. I did like that the initial impression was of an angry/cold angel but on closer inspection more details were noticed. It’s impressive how she was able to create such sharp features with a smooth finish.
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Wow. Thank you for including both pictures with the differing light. Had you only included the photo with the soft yellow lighting I really don’t think the detail in this sculpture would show. In that second photo with the harsh white you can really see the detail of the Harpy pop out at you. I’ve always found the old Greek and roman marble sculptures fascinating. Their attention to detail blows me away.
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As I was going through your blog I enjoyed looking at the different pieces of art that you chose to write about and I liked all they all connected to the Neoclassical theme. All of the art pieces you choose for your blog are unique and special in their own ways. However, I decided to just write about the first piece you added to your blog, “Andromache Mourning Over the Body of Hector.” This piece stuck out to me for many different reasons. The first thing that stuck out to me in this piece of artwork was how the emotion behind this piece was expressed in this painting. Jacques, the artist, was able to portray the feelings that Andromache was feeling as her husband was killed in battle. The other part of this piece that stuck out to me was the colors. The colors in this piece allowed the audience to view the image from many viewpoints and don’t overpower each other. This piece does a great job telling this story.
While researching more information on this piece, I thought it was interesting because this piece originally had us mainly focusing on the loss of Hector, but as I was reading an article, it also gave me a different perspective and mentioned that the different lighting allows to see that not only did Hector have to sacrifice something in battle, but so did his family (The Artist, 2019). This is a great piece. Nice work on your blog post!
About The Artist Editorial Delivering inspiring and authentic content for the Art, The Artist, et al. “Andromache Mourning Hector.” The Artist – Art and Culture Blog, 2019, https://www.theartist.me/collection/oil-painting/andromache-mourning-hector/.
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