Chicago The Legend Of Daphne

Title

Chicago The Legend Of Daphne

Artist

Chicago In Photographs

Medium

Photograph - Fine Art Print

Description

Chicago - The Legend of Daphne

Daphne in Greek means "laurel" and was a minor figure in Greek mythology. Daphne was a naiad which was a female nymph associated with fountains, wells, springs, streams, brooks, and other bodies of freshwater.

There are several versions of the myth in which Daphne appears, but the general narrative that appears in Greco-Roman mythology is that due to a curse made by the god Cupid, son of Venus, on the god Apollo (Phoebus), Daphne became the unwilling object of the infatuation of Apollo, who chased her against her wishes. Just before being kissed by him, Daphne pleaded to her river god father for help, who then transformed her into a laurel tree, thus foiling Apollo.

Thenceforth Apollo developed a special reverence for laurel. At the Pythian Games, which were held every four years in Delphi in honor of Apollo, a wreath of laurel gathered from the Vale of Tempe in Thessaly was given as a prize. Hence it later became customary to award prizes in the form of laurel wreaths to victorious generals, athletes, poets, and musicians, worn as a chaplet on the head. ~wiki

This photograph was taken in the spring, and you clearly see where the laurel at her feet is beginning to grow, and her hands have been changed to large bay leaves as she looks skyward towards her Father, crying for help. By summer's end, this statue will be completely engulfed in vines & leaves. I named this photograph Daphne because it just seems to fit the story. I was quite happy that I could lineup the sun and loved the light and how it glanced off her face and chest. The clouds were the cherry on top for me.

This sculpture is at the corner of Michigan Avenue and Congress at the gateway of Grant Park and Lake Michigan and is known as Magdalene. I'm not sure why this name was chosen; Daphne fits better.

All proceeds of purchases will be donated to Cornerstone Community Outreach in Chicago, IL in honor of photographer Richard Cleis, 1965-2021.

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May 17th, 2021

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