Petrifying Gazes

Of all the ancient myths where rain plays an important role, the impregnation of Danae by Zeus through a golden rain is perhaps the one most often depicted in art. This essay is dedicated to the artistic afterlife of the myth, with special focus on the painting of Danae (1527) by Jan Gossaert van Mabuse (1478-1532). Gossaert's Danae is a sophisticated articulation of outer and inner discourse: th...