Syrinx

Arthur Hacker 1858 - 1919

Summary

A mythological naked female figure with dark hair and dark drapery falling from her arms, standing at the edge of a river amongst tall reeds. She is posed with her left arm stretched up over her head, her right arm grasping the reeds beside her, at the water's edge, her feet partly submerged in the river. She gazes off to the right of the picture with a solemn expression.

Display Label

Syrinx 1892 Arthur Hacker 1858-1919 Oil on canvas Syrinx was the daughter of a Greek river god. In order to escape rape by the god Pan she was turned into a reed. The moment of her transformation is shown here. This painting was one of the targets of the Suffragette attack of Thursday 3rd April 1913. On that evening, as the building was about to close, three women smashed the glass of 13 paintings. As they ran off, one dropped a small hammer with purple, green and white ribbons attached and a card that demanded: 'Votes for Women!' and 'Stop Forcible Feeding!' The women were arrested and charged. There is no evidence that the women chose to attack paintings with narratives of sexual aggression, or female nudes. Rather, it seems they targetted the nearest, largest, or most famous works. Purchased 1892.1