About the Artist

John Woodrow Kelley is an artist whose entire life's work is devoted to creating a contemporary interpretation of the classical tradition in western civilization. This ambition is expressed through a series of paintings inspired by Greek mythology, as well as a study of the uniqueness of the human individual through the genre of portraiture. Mr. Kelley's attraction to Greek mythology is born of the belief that it embodies everything that is timeless about the human experience, and therefore is worthy of an interpretation expressing our own age.

Eros and Psyche
72"x 56"
oil on canvas

The great beauty of the mortal Psyche so filled Venus with envy and rage that she sent her son, Eros, to make Psyche fall in love with a hideously ugly monster. Eros, however, was struck with Psyche's beauty and fell in love with her himself. This, of course, angered Venus even more, and she sent the couple out on many arduous trials and tasks to prove their love. In this painting we see them reunited at last. The timeless appeal of Greek mythology lies in the way it mirrors the human experience, as in the way this myth reflects the eternal difficulties in the course of human love.

Ariadne on Naxos
50"x 72"
oil on canvas.

Ariadne, princess of Minos and priestess of the ancient Bacchic rites, was married to Theseus, Prince of Athens, after he conquered the Minotaur in her land. On their way back to Athens, they stayed a night on the island of Naxos, where Ariadne could not resist engaging in a Bacchic ceremony involving human sacrifice. Theseus, horrified, abandoned her in her drunken stupor. Ariadne was later deified and married to the God Bacchus as a reward for her devotion. This myth reminds us that Greek mythology is a religion, and that religious observance, then as now, can produce as much violence as it can spiritual salvation.

Mercury and Venus
56"x 80"
oil on canvas

This painting displays Venus in the characteristic act of receiving homage in the form of a love letter delivered by Mercury. The sardonic smile of Mercury and the disdainful expression of Venus demonstrate the probable ill fate of the admirer, as is all too often the case with human strivings.

Pallas Athena, dead soldier, and Pan
62"x 84"
oil on canvas

In this painting Pallas Athena, goddess of war, holds a victim of her patronage, a dead soldier. She looks away with indifference. Pan, however, the God of mirth, mocks the viewer for the stupidity of man to engage in war. This allegory of the evils of war demonstrates how Greek mythology, by holding up a mirror to man, can attempt a moral influence.