I was sent this finished piece recently by Kristian Mumford, a very talented painter based in Australia. We did the pose for this when I visited him in Adelaide last year, it’s his take on Gustav Klimt’s ‘Danaë’, created in 1907. From greek mythology, Danaë was often used as a symbol of divine love and transcendence, with depictions of her red hair and sensual expression conveying femininity and eroticism. The legend is that while imprisoned by her father, King of Argos, in a tower of bronze, Danaë was impregnated by Zeus, coming to her in the form of golden rain flowing between her legs, said to conceive Perseus, who grew up to slay the Gordon Medusa!
Kristian also did a painted version of MY photographic version of the painting of Leighton’s Flaming June (get that?) It was actually framed on the wall in the room I stayed in when I was at his house – which was quite surreal, but amazing, having only seen it on his model mayhem page before. It’s wonderful how art can be created and reborn in different ways. I’ve added some more of Kristian’s work for you to see below and you can see his website for more pictures and information.