The Sirens Amuse Themselves

Three sea nymphs tumble together on a wave-battered rock, one shaking a tambourine overhead while another flings her arms wide in a burst of movement. Seagulls scatter around them, and the reddish-gold hair of the central figure spills across the composition like a ribbon of flame against the cool blues and greens of the churning sea. This is the work of Adolphe La Lyre, a French painter active around the turn of the twentieth century who often returned to mythological women, sirens and mermaids especially, as his subjects.

The title tells us these are sirens, the sea creatures of Greek legend whose singing lured sailors to their deaths on the rocks. Here, though, they are not luring anyone. They are simply enjoying themselves, playing music and splashing about with no ship in sight. La Lyre paints them in a polished academic style, all smooth skin and careful modeling, the kind of finish that was popular in the French salons of his day. Watch for the scaly green fish tail curling up on the right side, a small reminder that these playful figures are not quite human.