Hercules And The Hydra Analysis

Antonio del Pollaiuolo was an Italian painter, sculptor, and engraver who created a number of artworks related to Greek mythology during the Italian Renaissance. He was born in Florence where the Renaissance began and patronized by the Medici family with his brother Piero del Pollaiuolo. Many of his artworks have influences of human anatomy, which means that he accurately illustrates the body shapes and muscle movements of people. Since he taught to many students such as Lorenzo Ghiberti and Sandro Botticelli, his artworks influenced many artists during the Renaissance. Though he began producing his artworks by goldsmithing which his father taught, his greatest achievement lay with his skills as a sculptor. One of the influential sculptures would be “Hercules and
One of paintings that precisely illustrates Pollaiuolo’s characteristics would be “Hercules and the Hydra,” which was produced in 1475. Again, this painting shows that Hercules fighting another invincible creature; it is Hydra this time. Hydra is a snake-like monster that has multiple heads. It has deadly poison, and those multiple heads can regenerate once it gets slayed off. This is the scene that Hercules is cutting off Hydra’s multiple heads while Iolaus (Hercules’ nephew) using a firebrand to prevent Hydra’s regeneration. It is the one of the Twelve Labor of Hercules, which is the series of stories that Hercules went through for his penance. Twelve Labor includes The Nemean Lion, The Hid of Ceryneia, The Erymanthean Boar, The Augean Stables, and so on. Same as “Hercules and Antaeus,” he accurately draws Hercules body and muscle movement. However, when it comes to paintings, Pollaiuolo is one of the pioneers that influenced in landscape. This influence succeeded to artists like Botticelli. The use of shady colors of blue and green creates the mystical theme, which makes the painting more