Oedipus and the Sphinx Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres (1780-1867)

Description of the painting Oedipus and the Sphinx by Jean Auguste Engres

Engres based his famous work on the widespread ancient Greek legend of the Sphinx. The Sphinx is a fearsome monster, possessing a woman’s head and charms, but with a lion’s torso, a rattlesnake’s tail, and enormous white wings.

Every traveler who wanted to come to Thebes, this monster had a famous riddle about the animal that can walk on two, three and four legs. Travelers unable to guess the truth were always devoured by the Sphinx monster.

The ancient Greek hero Oedipus managed to give the correct answer, to the riddle of the Sphinx and in response the monster jumped off the top of the mountain and crashed against the rocks.

The tragic and sad story of Oedipus’ life, recounting his arrival in Thebes, the murder of his own father through ignorance of his loved ones, as well as his hasty marriage to his own mother and the birth of four children in incest, has often enough caused artists to paint about it. Oedipus was subsequently banished by his own children from Thebes.

While working on the composition of his famous painting, Engres decides to depict the moment of Oedipus’ mental duel with the monster, at the price of which was Oedipus’ life and the freedom of the city. The monster raided Thebes, but no one was able to defeat him in a mental battle.

In the right corner of his composition, the artist places an amazing woman with a lion’s body, the Sphinx, symbolizing its dark monstrous side as opposed to the good and light. The main character Oedipus, on the contrary, is illuminated by the sunshine.

All the features of his face and body show a concentration, unwilling to retreat before the unperturbed Sphinx. He defeats him in a hay duel. Such a lively and bright face of the hero comes into contrast with the glassy impenetrable appearance of the Sphinx, resembling an antique statue.