The Abduction of Hippodameia by the French sculptor Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse

Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse

Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse was a French sculptor and painter.- Life :Carrier-Belleuse was a student of David d'Angers and briefly at the École des Beaux-Arts...

 (1824-1887) is a classical subject blended with violent emotion, sensuality, and raw animal power.

The source of the subject is from Greek mythology

Greek mythology

Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...

: During the wedding of Hippodameia and Pelops

Pelops

In Greek mythology, Pelops , was king of Pisa in the Peloponnesus. He was the founder of the House of Atreus through his son of that name....

, the barbaric centaurs who had been invited became wildly intoxicated, attacking the other guests and even the hosts. The centaurs were eventually tamed, and order restored.

Carrier-Belleuse portrays the callous over-powerment of the rearing centaur

Centaur

In Greek mythology, a centaur or hippocentaur is a member of a composite race of creatures, part human and part horse...

 clutching the weakened body of the ill-fated bride through an intricate, open composition of cross-angles and twisting forms. The theme was often featured in ancient times, as seen in the architectural sculptures at the great Temple of Zeus

Temple of Zeus

The Temple of Zeus at Olympia was an ancient Greek temple in Olympia, Greece, dedicated to the chief of the gods, Zeus. It was the very model of the fully developed classical Greek temple of the Doric order...

 at Olympia

Olympia, Greece

Olympia , a sanctuary of ancient Greece in Elis, is known for having been the site of the Olympic Games in classical times, comparable in importance to the Pythian Games held in Delphi. Both games were held every Olympiad , the Olympic Games dating back possibly further than 776 BC...

 (site of the original Olympics) and at the Parthenon

Parthenon

The Parthenon is a temple on the Athenian Acropolis, Greece, dedicated to the Greek goddess Athena, whom the people of Athens considered their virgin patron. Its construction began in 447 BC when the Athenian Empire was at the height of its power. It was completed in 438 BC, although...

 in Athens

Athens

Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...

. Carrier-Belleuse's interpretation focuses on the ruthlessness of beastly desire.