Hercules and the Lernaean Hydra, Gustave Moreau (1875–76)
Gustave Moreau’s Hercules and the Lernaean Hydra is a mesmerizing tableau of myth, mystery, and moral struggle. Against a murky, primordial landscape, the seven-headed Hydra writhes—a symbol of chaos and evil—while Hercules stands calm and poised, sword ready to strike the creature’s immortal head. Moreau’s haunting palette and obsessive attention to detail lend the painting a dreamlike, almost surreal stillness, where violence is suspended in time. The mythic battle unfolds not just as a test of strength, but as an allegory for the eternal conflict between darkness and light. Painted in the aftermath of France’s defeat in the Franco-Prussian War, Moreau’s vision channels the anxieties of his era into a universal meditation on resilience, destiny, and the enigmatic trials faced by every generation.
Cotton and polyester canvas on Radiata pine wood frame sourced from renewable forests. Includes back mounting.
