Ulysses and the Sirens

Ulysses and the Sirens by Thomas Moran from 1900 is an unusual work within his largely landscape-focused output — a mythological marine painting depicting the episode from Homer's Odyssey in which the hero is lashed to the mast to resist the Sirens' fatal song. Moran was primarily a landscape painter, and this excursion into classical mythology with a marine setting allowed him to combine his deep knowledge of water painting with narrative content. The painting demonstrates the range of his ambitions beyond the Western American landscapes for which he is best known.

Moran renders the marine setting with his characteristic mastery of water — waves and spray are painted with the confidence of long practice. The Sirens are integrated into the rocky coastal environment rather than depicted as isolated mythological figures. His sky, stormy and dramatic, reinforces the danger of the episode. The palette favors the dark blues and greens of an open, threatening sea.