John William Waterhouse (English, 1849-1917) - Echo and Narcissus, 1903 (Oil on canvas. Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool) - - In this perfectly balanced painting, the nymph Echo, perched on a rock, tense with frustrated desire, gazes hopelessly at the languorous, lithe body of Narcissus as he gazes at…
Sandro Botticelli (Italian, 1445-1510) – Birth of Venus, 1485 (Tempera on canvas. The Uffizi) – The composition shows the goddess of love and beauty arriving on land, on the island of Cyprus, born of the sea spray and blown there by the winds, Zephyr and, perhaps, Aura. She is met by a young woman,…