Martha Mayer Erlebacher, Apollo

Martha Mayer Erlebacher: Apollo (1971) Oil on canvas
Title
Apollo
Date
1971
Medium
Oil on canvas
Credit Line
Gift of the Erlebacher Family, 2014
Dimensions
70 1/4 x 52 in.

Erlebacher’s Apollo recalls the figure of Venus in Sandro Botticelli’s Italian Renaissance masterpiece, The Birth of Venus. Apollo, the youthful god of truth, beauty, music, and light stands in a contrapposto pose, his luxurious blond hair flowing and his unblemished body bathed in a silvery, bright light. 

Like Venus, Apollo represents all that is pure and beautiful in humanity. He stands on a ground of ruled and ordered geometry, and the fallen curtain behind him suggests that he has been born into the world as a mature being. The buildings on the far shore suggest the modern age.  

Erlebacher’s work is included in the collections of many museums, including Woodmere, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, and many others in the United States and abroad.

Stories Trigger
Blank field used to trigger form on artwork and artist pages. DO NOT EDIT

Share:

Stories

We invite you to share your ideas, knowledge, and stories as they relate to the art in our collection. Read what people had to say about this art or use the form below and write to us yourself.

Name:
Invalid Input
Email:
Invalid Input on Email
Phone:
Invalid Input on Phone
Message:
Invalid Input
Invalid Input