arete: ‘merit; good character;’ also the name of the Phaeacian queen.
This sculpture is based on the character Penelope, the wife of Odysseus in the Odyssey. It forms part of the series A Catalogue of Shapes and was constructed from an embroidery hoop, embroidery needle, bobbin spool, ribbed rod, funnel, vase cap, angle-grinder inner flange, drill chuck, hinge leaves, hollow soldered brass ball, lamp holder fastener, wood (Plywood), and enamel paint. It measures 48.5 x 18 x 18cm.
Penelope ΑΡΕΤΗ from drawing to sculpture
Homer describes Penelope as intelligent and loyal to her husband, whom she equals in cunning. In the Odyssey, Penelope determines the success of Odysseus’ homecoming. If she were to choose a new husband, then Odysseus’ fate would echo Agamemnon’s who returned from Troy to be murdered by his wife and her lover. In conferring Odysseus’ nostos, Penelope preserves the uniqueness of the Odyssey by clearly differentiating it from the Oresteia. Penelope is presented as an amphora surmounted by an embroidery hoop. The amphora is painted in horizontal bands of pattern and colour, while vertical light-blue bands on either side feature a hexametrical sequence of 1’s and 0’s.
Close up of Penelope ΑΡΕΤΗ showing the vertical band with the hexametrical sequence of 1’s and 0’s
This sculpture depicts Penelope as a repository. The embroidery hoop and needle refer to Penelope’s deception of weaving and unravelling Laertes’ shroud to keep her household intact. The amphora as storage for provisions, and as a funerary marker, reflects her role as either the custodian of Odysseus’ homecoming or as the potential instrument of his death. The needle in the embroidery hoop and the axes on the belly of the amphora evoke the archery contest. At Athena’s instigation, Penelope proposed an archery contest to determine who would marry her. She set the archers the near-impossible task of shooting an arrow through the handles of twelve axes. This test was accomplished by Odysseus disguised as a beggar.
Preparatory studio drawing for Penelope ΑΡΕΤΗ