Gardner, Percy: The principles of Greek art (London, 1924)

CHAPTER XVII

LITERATURE AND PAINTING CONTINUED : LYRIC AND DRAMATIC

POETRY

Lyric Poetry. — We return once more to the observations of
Jahn as to the influence of poetry on painting, and have to
consider whether either in method of representing a story, or
in general tone, vases reflect the influence of that lyric poetry
of Greece which succeeded the epic. In some cases the lyric
poets did not accept the epic version of a tale, but preferred a
refinement of their own invention. Could versions of myth,
which were due to some innovating poet, find a place in art ?
From what has already been said as to the relations of litera-
ture and art this would seem unlikely. Nor do I think we
have any satisfactory examples of it, though some have been
suggested by archaeologists. One of the greatest poetical inno-
vators was Stesichorus of Himera, who lived about 600 B.C.,
and who is said to have introduced new elements and new
motives into current and Homeric myth. Among other such
innovations, he declared that Helen had never really been at
Troy, that the Trojans held but a ghost or simulacrum of her, ]
while the real Helen tarried in Egypt. Thus he tried to save
the reputation of the heroine. He also found difficulties in the ;
tale that Artemis had turned the inquisitive Actaeon into a
stag, to be pulled down by his own dogs, and feigned rather
that the goddess had merely thrown a stag's skin over his
shoulders. It is most unlikely that such rationalism as this
would find a way into the representations of Greek art. Pro-
fessor Robert has maintained that the figure of Actaeon on the

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