Hera - Goddess of the Sky and the Stars of the Heavens

Hera is a major Goddess within Greek mythology. Being the wife of Zeus, the Olympian Queen of the Gods, and the Goddess of marriage, women, family, childbirth, the sky and the stars of the heavens. I never actually intended to take self-portraits of myself as such major and important Goddesses, for a few reasons. Mostly, at first, none of the Goddesses fit the theme I was really looking at, however as the project has evolved it now works. Secondly, the reason for making the project is a large part of the identity of it - and I never really felt that connection with these ever-famous goddesses. Also, with Goddesses like Hera, their scope of what they rule is far wider and I wouldn't want the theme of my project hazed by that. However, I feel that Hera is a necessary addition to the Goddesses I am showing, being the Goddess of the stars and heavens. To ensure that the theme of my project doesn't become a muddle, as my inspiration for my shoot I will choose a painting that reflects the sky/stars side of her if possible. 

Hera was perhaps the first deity to have a roofed temple sanctuary dedicated to her, in Samos, 800BCE. This was then adapted, however. She has many characteristics of Pre-Greek Goddesses, and it's thought that her origin may have been as a Pelasgian Goddess - the Pelasgians being those who resided in Greece before being 'aware' of their Greekness - those who came before what we would call 'The Greeks'

Family;

Parents;

• Kronos (King of Titans, God of Time)
• Rhea (Titaness Mother of the Gods, and goddess of female fertility, motherhood, and generation.)

Children with Zeus;

• Hebe (Goddess of Youth)
• Area (God of War)
  
• Eileithyia (Goddess of childbirth and labour pains)
• Hephaestus (God of fire, smiths, craftsmen and metalworking) 
• Typhoeus (Storm giant)

There're many stories about Hera, with her being such a major role in Greek mythology. I will highlight a few of the most well-known ones as a way to understand her presence and personality more.

Her marriage with Zeus

Zeus fell in love with Hera, however, this was not reciprocated. Zeus proposed to her, and she declined. Zeus was cunning and knew of her empathy and love for animals, and so after his rejection turned himself into a cuckoo bird - known as one her emblems since the Archaic period. He summoned a thunderstorm, and perched on Hera's window, crying in distress. She took pity on the bird, and cupped him in her hands, brought him inside and held him to her breast to keep him warm and dry. Zeus then transformed back into himself and proceeded to rape her. Hera was ashamed of this, and so agreed to marry him. 
However, despite his love for her, he loved Greece even more, and returned to the mortals, unknowingly under the eye of Hera, and had intercourse with many different mortal women to have as many children as possible - to spread his 'greatness'. Hera soon grew jealous, and because of this is seen as angry, moody and even torturous. Even Zeus, who was known for being fearless, was afraid of her rages.

Her Hatred towards Heracles

Heracles is the son of Zeus and Alcmene - a stepson to Hera. Hera seemed to loath Heracles from conception to the point that she kept preventing his birth. According to Homer, when Alcmene was ready to birth Heracles, Zeus declared that on that day, the child born would rule all around him. Hera saw this as an opportunity and made him swear to it. Being the goddess of childbirth, she delayed the birth and instead made the wife of Sthenelus, who was the son of Perseus, fall into labour and give birth after only 7 months of pregnancy. Their son, Eurystheus, then took on the role Zeus had intended for Heracles. 
When Heracles was a young boy, Hera sent two snakes to kill him, but Heracles killed them first with his bare hands and used their dead bodies as toys. The Greeks believed the Milky Way to have originated from when Zeus tricked Hera into feeding Heracles from her breast, and upon finding out the identity of the baby, she retracted in shock and breast milk created the milky smear in the sky.

When Heracles was an adult, she drove him mad, leading him to kill his family. This led to Hera tasking him with 12 incredibly hard labours, such as fighting a hydra.

Hera and Leto

When Leto became pregnant with Zeus' twins, Artemis and Apollo, Hera convinced the nature nymphs to not allow Leto to give birth on the mainland, any island at sea, or any place under the sun. The Go o the sea, Poseidon, felt bad for Leto and so took her to Delos, an 'island' that was not on the mainland and not a real island. Here, Leto gave birth to the twins.

Appearance

Hera is often depicted as a very beautiful woman indeed. In fact, there is a story of her, Athena and Aphrodite arguing over who was the fairest, and nobody could decide. The Trojan prince Paris was asked to decide, but he could not. The Goddesses undressed to try to lure him, and he still could not choose for all three were the most beautiful of Goddesses. She's often seen wearing a crown and a lotus-tipped sceptre. Sometimes with her sacred animals, being the lion, the cuckoo, the peacock and the hawk. There is also the pomegranate, which is most often associated with Persephone, however being a symbol of fertility and marriage, it is also associated and shown with Hera.

Zeus with Hera expelling Hephaestus, Gaetano Gandolfi (between 1761 and 1769)

This neoclassical painting depicts Hera and Zeus expelling their son, Hephaestus, from Olympus. The myths say that because he was so weak and powerless at birth, Hera greatly disliked her own son and wanted to get rid of him. On his fall down, Thetis and Eurynome saved him and lived with him for 9 years in their grotto surrounded by Oceanus, where Hephaestus made them ornaments. I, however, do not believe this what is being depicted here, but it an important feature of the story as to what is being shown. I do not believe that this is the story painted because Hephaestus looks anything but feeble and weak - he has been given carved out muscles and well-built figure. After this initial fall, Hephaestus always remembered what his mother did to him, but still showed her great compassion. When Hera and Zeus were having an argument, he took his mother's side which caused Zeus to throw him off Olympus for a second time. He spent the whole day falling, and in the evening fell to the island Lemnos. I believe this second incident is what is being shown, as it explains why Zeus is heavily involved and the one doing the pushing, and why Hephaestus is shown with muscle - he is more mature. 
This painting shows Hera and Zeus as a unity, holding hands while banishing their son. Neither of them looks overly furious, however, more like this is not a big deal to the King and Queen of the Gods.

Johann Joachim Winckelmann, who helped shape the neoclassical movement, stated that art should aim for "noble simplicity and calm grandeur". He applauded the theme of idealism within Greek art, saying that when looking at it, people find "not only nature at its most beautiful but also something beyond nature, namely certain ideal forms of its beauty, which, as an ancient interpreter of Plato teaches us, come from images created by the mind alone". Gandolfi has painted a piece that is a perfect example of neoclassic ideals - a faithful and in-depth study of classical themes and subjects with a then-modern twist using newer science and archaeology. 

It's interesting to note the presence of the bird, possibly a hawk, which would be a symbol of Hera, but to me, it looks more like an eagle, which is the symbol of Zeus - which makes sense as it is next to the God. The colours are warm-toned, with a yellowish source of light, and using teal, reds, oranges and yellows continuously throughout, creating an image that feels unified and whole. 

While I find this image really interesting because it tells a story, I feel like I would find it hard to use this to influence my own work. This is because of the other characters within it, such as Zeus. Being a male figure along with so many female figures I in the series, the image would stand out too much. The image seems to be more about Zeus, as he is closer to the viewer, and Hera takes the position of the supporting role. As my project is about the Goddesses, I'm not sure this is the most appropriate.

The Origin of the Milky Way, Peter Paul Rubens, 1637

This Flemish-Baroque painting by Rubens depicts the story explained about the origin of the milky way, where Hera's breast milk from feeding Heracles created the smudged mark in the sky. Rubens was perhaps the most influential Baroque painter, if not, indeed in Flemish Baroque painting, and so it comes as no surprise that this painting follows the ideals of Baroque painting. Firstly, the subject matter being mythical. In the 17th Century, history painting, including not only mythological subjects but also biblical and real historical events were regarded by theorists and critics as the noblest of art. Another typical aspect of Baroque painting found in here is the great sense of contrast that allows the giving of importance to certain parts of an image - such as how Hera is highlighted against the background, and the shadows are plenty deep. The great sense of movement is yet another example, Hera is caught in the act, her leg outstretched and Heracles is reaching and almost looks as if he is squirming. Zeus is sitting in a rather posed position, however, the detail and grandeur given to him also reflect Baroque traditions. I think that aside from the narrative of the painting, it's the detail and crispness of this painting that draws me towards it so much. Rubens has truly gives the viewer a sense of awe when they look at the painting, I think especially because it creates this sense of escapism, a new, or rather an old, explanation of how the milky way came to exist - it challenges what we know and how we think about the world, and therefore about society and how we have changed. Hera's skin in this painting has a silvery gleam to it, which projects her influence, majesty and ethereal qualities. She is glorified and idealised. To the right of the painting, we see two peacocks, which are one of her sacred animals, pulling her chariot as per the myths. We can see Zeus in the background watching, he is is the one who tricked Hera into feeding his son to try and make them create a bond. He watches intently, sat behind the chariot on a cloud. Below him, we have an eagle carrying a lightning bolt - symbolism of Zeus himself. Below the peacocks, we see the stream of milk turning into the milky way, completing the narrative. 

I think that this painting would be a really good one to use as inspiration, however, I would need to work out what I can take out and leave in, such as whether having Zeus in here is essential and how I would be able to incorporate a baby realistically. I much prefer this to the image above, as it focusses on Hera, and has a narrative of the origin of the milky way that is so far from the popular belief that it is now in some was exotic and new to us.  

The Peacock complaining to Hera (Juno) by Gustave Moreau (1881).

This painting by Moreau tells the story of the peacock complaining to Hera about his voice. He complained that this voice is hideous, especially compared to the nightingale - a tiny scrawny little bird. Hera was not best pleased, telling him to hold his tongue, and that he had no right to complain when he is as beautiful as he is. The nightingale may have a beautiful voice, but the peacock was visually stunning, with a rainbow on the neck and many eyes upon the tail. She explained that no bird was 'perfect' and they all have different attributes - the eagle is courage, the falcon is light and the raven predicts the future - he should not be complaining or comparing himself to the other species of bird for he is just as worthy. It's a story that teaches equality and self-appreciation. 
The painting is typical of Moreau, who was a large figure in the symbolism movement - a movement within France, Belgium and Russia that believed that absolute truths could only be shown indirectly, in Moreau's case, focussing on biblical and mythical subjects. With this understanding, I read the painting as teaching us and holding a message to be happy with oneself and don't be jealous of another's good qualities because there will be people in the world who are jealous of yours. 

The style of painting is usually what I gravitate towards, with the loose linework and lack of detail, however, I think it's still very beautiful and elegant. Hera appears to lean across a gold throne, with a silver crown upon her head, and her symbolic sceptre showing her status as the Queen of the Gods. To her side, she has the peacock who is complaining to her. She is positioned in such a way that shows that she is not really that interested or involved in the conversation; her body faces the audience rather than the bird she speaks to. Her arms are relaxed and she seems almost bored.
To the top left of the image we see the face of a bird, again I'd like to say it's a hawk but I believe to be an eagle - the symbol of Zeus. Perhaps this suggests that Zeus is always watching over her.

The colours in the image are rich and luxurious, fabulous golds, rich teals, blues and greens, and the feminine pale pink of the drapery partly covering her. It gives the painting a very royal feeling.

I think this is the image I could work with the best to create my own version. I think I could get a stock image for the peacock and use editing for the rest. I really like the message of the image, and find the flow of the image with the cloth tapering from the bottom left corner and merging into the sceptre in the top right corner.

Overall, I think that Hera will make a major addition to the project, being such a large and prominent figure in Greek mythology. I believe I will end up using Moreau's painting, as it allows me to focus on a story with just Hera, rather than her supporting a story about Zeus. I'm aware I will need to do a lot more editing than in previous images, however, I am willing to learn to make it as effective as possible.