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Dionysus, also known as Bacchus, is the Roman and Greek god of wine. The son of Zeus, he is also a patron of intoxication, fertility and abundance. Throughout the centuries this interesting character has been portrayed uniquely by hundreds if not thousands of different artists. Give me seven portrayals of the god and I’ll show you seven completely different Bacchuses. And that’s what I’ve done here:

Ancient art is where it all began when people loved to worship their gods and heroes and loved even more to portray them any way they could. This wall painting was found in Etruria Italy and is one of infinite examples of god paintings from antiquity. It depicts our guy with arm around a maenad, a frenzied worshiper of Dionysus. He is given gifts of a hare and a stag.

The Renaissance among many contributions to art marked a return to classical themes, including depicting ancient Greek and Roman gods. This Bacchus is by Michelangelo Bounarroti. This marble statue shows the young god drunk and barely able to stand, grasping a faun, who takes the opportunity to munch on the grapes Bacchus barely holds onto in his left hand. He also carries a tiger skin, symbol of an animal who “has a love for the grape.” In his right hand, Bacchus holds up a goblet of wine, as if to toast to us, the amused spectators.

Giorgio Vasari, Italian artist and biographer of artists, says the statue has, “both the slenderness of a young man and the fleshiness and roundness of a woman.” Indeed the androgyny of the god of wine is a common characteristic among portrayals.

This epic painting is called “Bacchus and Ariadne” and is done by Titian in 1520 to 1523. It shows our sport in the center caught leaping mid-air to protect Ariadne from the danger of the leopards. Ariadne is left deserted on the island of Naxos by her lover, whose ship is just visible to the far left of the canvas. Look up to the sky and you can see Ariadne’s crown, thrown to the heavens by Bacchus, which becomes the constellation Corona.

The original painting was meant to be commissioned for Raphael, whose death called for Titian to complete it. It is part of series of mythological paintings for the Duke of Ferrara.

This painting has an interesting background to it. It is done in the style of Leonardo da Vinci but definitely not actually done by him, but most likely by one of his followers or students. It was originally intended to be Saint John the Baptist, holding a cross, with fur and wreath, which symbolize the legacy of the saint. The fur and wreath remain, but the cross is converted to a thyrsus, a staff with pine cone associated with Bacchus, as well as fruit and laurel wreath added, also typical of the god.

The Bacchus shown here is typical of Caravaggio, who preferred to use common street people in his depictions. It shows a teenager with blushing face leaning, half-drunk, struggling to hold still a glass of wine (note the ripples). Art historians conjecture that the condition of the fruit, rotting and otherwise inedible, could mean the transient nature of life. This magnificent bowl of fruit along with the wine carafe generally receives more attention than the Bacchus. Impossible to see in this image here is the tiny self portrait of the artist at his easel barely seen in the reflection of the glass carafe.

Diego Velazquez is known for his empathy of human beings of all walks of life and status, as seen here in his “Triumph of Bacchus.” Extreme emphasis is placed on the main subject, the man of honor in this feast, Bacchus, whose bright pale skin shine and seem to light up the surroundings. But joining in the party are common working-class gentlemen, taking part in the wine and merriment, and seeming to have the times of their lives in this brief respite from their hard working daily lives.

Of course I saved the best for last. So we have Bacchus the god of wine portrayed as decent looking young androgynous boys, to strapping young men, to common everyday joes. But here, in Cornelius de Vos’ “Triumph of Bacchus” we have the epitome of inebriation and plenty. The fat Bacchus here represents sexual and caloric excess. He is the god of abundance after all, shown here in obese and still androgynous fashion in an orgiastic display of drunkenness and gluttony.

Note the figures around the god, who takes center stage in this large painting. The girl caresses the Bacchus and holds her arm deep in the armpit of the intoxicated deity. A satyr behind him reaches under Bacchus’ arm and grabs a generous portion of the portly god’s “love handles.” A smaller satyr takes delight in sampling from the grapes.

This comical display shows us in full force the effects of over abundance in drink and food and might even serve as a warning. The sleeping Silenus off to the right is passed out on his mount. The other characters all around party heartily and owe their state to the man of the hour, the God of Wine.

“I found a God in the wine and took him to my heart.

I painted myself as Bacchus and took on his fate.

Man’s character is his fate.”

-”Caravaggio” (1986)

 

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