Danae
Gustav Klimt portrays an ancient Greek myth through his erotic painting of Danae, daughter of the King of Argos. Danae, the symbol of divine love, transcendence, and sensational beauty is depicted as a redhead. In the myth, it is foretold that the king will die at the hands of his daughters son. In order to avoid this destiny, the king has his daughter, Danae, locked up in a tower. However, while there she is visited by Zeus, in the form of a shower of gold, who impregnates her. She later gives birth to Perseus who in turn later, though accidentally, kills her father.
In the Klimt painting, the eroticism of the situation is hardly understated. The shower of gold that is Zeus is flowing freely between the legs of Danae. Meanwhile, her eyes are closed, her lips slightly parted and she definitely looks aroused. She is giving herself to the king of the gods. While lying there, she is covered only by a thin veil in the colour of royal purple. The colour of the veil is a further indication of her imperial lineage, with purple being the imperial colour.
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