ART DESCRIPTION
Clytemnestra, wife of Agamemnon, is a mythological character from Greek mythology. Famously known because of Homer’s “The Iliad,” the King of Mycenae won the Trojan War and seized Troy. It was a time of great joy. Agamemnon took Cassandra, who was the daughter of Priam, the former king of Troy, as his war bride. Cassandra had godly insight, after being cursed by Apollo, a Greek god. She forewarned her father and brother about the Trojan Tragedy, but they deemed her mad. Similarly, Cassandra warned Agamemnon not to return; an ill-fate waited for him. But he paid no heed. When returned, he finds his wife, Clytemnestra, is the supreme queen of Mycenae. Unbeknownst to him, Clytemnestra had developed a deep-rooted hatred for Agamemnon for sacrificing their daughter, Iphigenia. Seeing Cassandra, it was like adding fuel to the fire. During the time he was in the War, Clytemnestra had an affair with Aegisthus, Agamemnon’s cousin. They together plotted murder. In this painting, we see Clytemnestra hesitating. We can see the minuscule second of doubt, but also the tide that seems to win: vengeance. Aegisthus, hidden in the shadows, is visibly pushing her, prodding her to forget about the doubt. The use of deep oranges and reds shows the fire of hate and resentment in the murderers, and Agamemnon lies, unaware, unprotected, blissfully resting vulnerably. The sky peeking from the right corner, dark and cloudy—almost stormy, warns of the tragedy that is about to strike. Guérin masterfully uses the colours, shadows and details to make the viewers keenly aware, even disturbed, of the event that will take place. Years later, Orestes, son of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, takes his revenge and kills his mother and lover, continuing the cycle of violence, which in the end makes him go mad.
We see the strong use of chiaroscuro that almost feels cinematic. The source of the light behind the curtain highlights Clytemnestra’s internal conflict. The curtain also acts as a central visual element. It divides the figures and acts as a barrier between life and death, morality and crime. We feel this intense emotional depth from Clytemnestra’s eyes, her rigid body, and the terror in her eyes symbolize the heaviness of what she is about to do. This Neoclassical style utilizes rigid poses and sharp contrasts to heighten the suspense. Also, the blood-red palette and stark lighting create a suffocating feeling of fear in the air that shows how serious the coming crime is.
