Adapting Antiquity
Classical Receptions in American Art
Nelson Sandgren (American, 1917-2006). Roman Soldier, n.d. Color lithograph. Donated by Jan and Erik Sandgren, and Bill Rhoades, 2017:42.15
Adapting Antiquity
Classical Receptions in American Art
What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of the ancient world? Some recall the architecture of Athens and Rome, others classical nude sculpture or the vivid redfigure Greek pottery. More will first think of the scores of gods, heroes, and monsters that star in ancient myth and epic such as Zeus and Hades, Achilles and Odysseus, Icarus and Oedipus, or modern-day interpretations like Disney’s Hercules or Ridley Scott’s Gladiator. Centuries later, the legacy and influence of ancient antiquity continues to endure.
Adapting Antiquity: Classical Receptions in American Art draws upon the framework of classical reception, which has been defined as “the ways in which Greek and Roman material has been transmitted, translated, excerpted, interpreted, rewritten, re-imaged, and represented,” and examines how legacies and stories from the classical past have been adapted and redeployed to address contemporary themes, concerns, and socio-political issues. This exhibition considers four American artists whose work is in dialogue with the ancient past: Andy Warhol, Nelson Sandgren, Suda House, and William Cumming.
From Warhol’s playful exploration of the enduring celebrity of Alexander the Great to Suda House’s vibrant portraits of ancient goddesses, each work encourages an examination of our connection to the ancient past and how it transforms, and is transformed by, contemporary people.
This exhibition was curated by Alexis Garcia, 2023- 2025 Post-Graduate Museum Fellow in European and American Art.
House (American, b.1951). Leda (detail),
Iliad Fragment: Achilles and Patroclus
William Cumming (American, 1917 – 2010)
William Cumming (American, 1917 – 2010). Iliad Fragment: Achilles and Patroclus, 1965. Oil on canvas. Virginia Haseltine Collection of Pacific Northwest Art, 1966:26.1
Having lived through World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War, Cumming was no stranger to the repercussions and social impact of war. Literature and poetry of the 20th century often compared the experiences of modern soldiers to the ten-year struggle of the epic heroes of the Trojan War, and here Cumming applies a similar approach to the visual arts. In Iliad Fragment: Achilles and Patroclus, the two Achaean warriors of Homeric epic are depicted in the guise of trench soldiers. Shrouded in shadow, their faces become anonymized and generalized, allowing any viewer to project themselves upon the figure. This work correctly anticipated the burgeoning interest in contextualizing the trauma of modern veterans with heroes of the past, and there have been a number of university and public programs that have sought to help veterans cope with PTSD and grief through discussions and performances of the Iliad and the Odyssey.
Alexander the Great,
Andy Warhol (American, 1928 – 1987)
Andy Warhol (American, 1928 – 1987). Alexander the Great, 1982. Screenprint on Lenox Museum Board. Gift of the Andry Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. Extra, out of the edition. Designated for research and educational purposes only, 2013:33.5. © 2024 The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.
At the request of gallerist Alexander Iolas, Andy Warhol turned his eye away from the icons of the modern age and looked to one from the ancient past: Alexander the Great. Despite the fact that the Macedonian king has been dead for 23 centuries, Alexander is perhaps one of the most enduring ‘celebrities’ of all time, fascinating people throughout history for his youth, military acumen, and the murky details of his biography, such as speculation on his character and sexuality. Warhol’s Alexander the Great was produced for inclusion in a massive blockbuster exhibition The Search for Alexander, which, along with a slew of comics, movies, and television miniseries, brought the Macedonian general to the foreground of popular culture in the 1980s. The portrait of Alexander, printed in profile, is based on a Roman bust from the 3rd century, made nearly five hundred years after his death, demonstrating how he has continued to be reimagined and reinvented throughout time.
Leda
Suda House (American, b.1951)
Suda House (American, b.1951). Leda, from the Aqueous Myths, 1984, printed 2013. Chromogenic print. Gift of Suda House, 2014:26.1
As the first woman in San Diego County to teach photography at an academic institution, Suda House’s Aqueous Myths series was created in response to the artist’s personal struggles navigating her career and motherhood in the 1980s. House photographed a number of women in the guise of goddesses and figures from ancient myth and history. Each model was submerged with costume and props in a pool of water, which represented the struggle to navigate the precarious balance between gendered social roles and one’s own personal aspirations. Leda depicts the oftenovershadowed mother of Castor, Pollux, Clytemnestra, and the infamous Helen of Troy. While she was married to the King of Sparta, Zeus visited Leda in the guise of a swan and, depending on the source, either went willingly to Zeus, or was a victim of sexual assault. House’s depiction approaches the myth with ambiguity, showing Leda cradling the swan in the water with strength and dignity.
Diana
Suda House (American, b.1951)
Suda House (American, b.1951). Diana, from the Aqueous Myths, 1986, printed 2024. Chromogenic print on Fuji paper. Gift of Suda House, 2024:3.1
Also known as Artemis, Diana was the Roman goddess of the hunt and twin sister to Apollo. Fiercely independent and skilled with a bow, she rejected marriage and sex, petitioning her father, Jupiter, for permission to remain an unwed virgin for the entirety of her divine existence. Artemis became one of the most widespread cults in the ancient world, and was frequently invoked as a protector, to safeguard women through childbirth, and oversaw the initiation rites of young, unmarried girls. In myth, Diana also fiercely brought vengeance upon those who wronged her and represented the wild violence of the hunt and nature. Here, Diana is shown with her bow half-drawn, confrontationally gazing at the viewer. In conversation with the rest of the Aqueous Myths series, Diana, like many women of the 1980s, defied gender expectations by refusing motherhood and marriage, yet she also maintained power in her own right and served as a protective, guardian figure for women.
Juno Lucia
Suda House (American, b.1951)
Suda House (American, b.1951). Juno Lucia, from the Aqueous Myths, 1986, printed 2024 . Chromogenic print on Fuji paper. Gift of Suda House, 2024:3.2
In response to her struggles with misogyny as she navigated motherhood and an artistic career in the 1980s, Suda House created the Aqueous Myths series, in which she photographed a number of women models in the guise of goddesses from ancient myth and history. Juno Lucia depicts as aspect of the Roman goddess Juno, counterpart to the Greek Hera, who oversaw marriage, women, and fidelity. While she was married to Jupiter, Juno retained power in her own right and was honored as part of the Capitoline Triad, one of three of the most important gods in Rome. She also was capable of great violence and vengeance and led the Sack of Troy in the Iliad. Juno Lucina, or Lucia, was an aspect of Juno that was strongly associated with childbirth and was annually honored with a great festival in March. Here, the goddess is shown splayed in the water, eyes obscured by a pair of goggles, as her arms reach out to cup a round, glowing object surrounded by dragonflies, cattails, and birds.
Roman Soldier
Nelson Sandgren (American, 1917-2006)
Nelson Sandgren (American, 1917-2006). Roman Soldier, n.d. Color lithograph. Donated by Jan and Erik Sandgren, and Bill Rhoades, 2017:42.15
Nelson Sandgren was raised by devout Baptists, and while we he was not ‘conventionally’ religious, stories and themes from the bible appeared frequently in his oeuvre. Roman Soldier depicts the Roman centurion Longinus, who speared the crucified Jesus with a Holy Lance. Later biblical apocrypha claims that the soldier converted to Christianity, and certain sects of Christianity venerate Longinus as a saint and martyr. Having served as a soldier during World War II, Sangren developed a longstanding interest in the tension between the power of the individual and how an individual is often subsumed into the apparatus of a state military, mirrored here through the story of Longinus.
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