Dome

"David had begun work on The Loves of Paris and Helen in 1786, and had originally intended to have it ready for the 1787 Salon. However, due to an injury to his achilles tendon sustained in October 1786, and a long illness in 1787, the work was not completed until 1788. The Loves of Paris and Helen was a work on a new theme for David, and to express the amorous nature of the subject, David greatly modified the uncompromising and severe style of his previous paintings. The two figures are smooth and sculptural and are bathed in subtle light. David took great trouble over the details in this painting of courtship and physical attraction. A statue of Venus, goddess of love, is placed on a column at the left, and we also see two wreaths of myrtle, an evergreen sacred to Venus and an emblem of conjugal fidelity. The painting examines the differing emotions that Helen feels towards Paris because, according to Homer's account in the Iliad, Paris won Helen over even though he had been defeated in combat by her husband Menelaus. This seduction had the tragic consequence of starting the Trojan War. Helen stands, her head inclined, attracted by the handsome Paris yet still harboring doubts. Paris' passion is understated and simply suggested by the gentle grasping of Helen's arm. For added, although incorrect, detail in the background, David included four caryatids. In this present work, David went to great lengths to show his versatility and to demonstrate that he was not just a painter of heroic and masculine scenes." (Simon Lee, "David", p. 116-119)detail, central figures