Arianna (Reni)

Arianna at the Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna, painted in 1639, depicts the mythological heroine abandoned by Theseus on Naxos. Reni's treatment transforms the scene of female abandonment into an image of melancholy beauty. Guido Reni's refined classicism and ethereal beauty made him one of the most celebrated painters in Europe during his lifetime, his graceful idealized figures expressing a spirituality that appealed equally to Counter-Reformation piety and aristocratic aesthetic sensibility.

Ariadne's sorrowful figure is rendered with Reni's characteristic luminous technique. The smooth modeling and silvery palette create an image of refined tragic elegance.