Exploring the Myth of Pandora Through Art
Grade Level: 5–6
In this lesson, students will delve into the Greek myth of Pandora by examining the artwork of Odilon Redon titled Pandora. Following this analysis, they will create their own decorative boxes adorned with symbols representing an emotion they will contain and eventually express to the world.
Curriculum Connections
- Language Arts
- History/Social Studies
Required Materials
- A box for decoration (e.g., a shoebox, small balsa wood box, or self-constructed box)
- Paint
- Various decorative items (jewels, buttons, etc.)
- Glue
- Clay for crafting items to be placed inside the box
Warm-up Question
What do you perceive is happening in this artwork?
Background Information
According to Greek mythology, before life was filled with hardships, the earth was idyllic, abundant with flowers and rivers rich with milk and honey. The only inhabitants were humans, crafted from clay by the titan Prometheus. His actions of modeling humans after the gods angered Zeus, the chief deity. After Prometheus further enraged Zeus by giving humans the gift of fire, Zeus sought vengeance. He commanded Hephaestus, the god of craftsmanship, to create Pandora, the first woman, who was endowed with beauty, curiosity, and charm—a fitting name, meaning “all gifted” or “a gift to all.”
Zeus presented Pandora with a beautiful box, cautioning her, “This is my unique gift to you. Never open it.” Yet, driven by her insatiable curiosity, Pandora succumbed and opened the box, unleashing all of humanity’s suffering—pain, illness, vice, greed, madness, aging, and death. Unknown to Zeus was the fact that Prometheus had endowed the box with hope, ensuring that amidst despair, humanity would find a way to endure the hardships.
Redon, a French painter contemporaneous with the Impressionists, created his interpretation of Pandora from an imaginative perspective. Influenced by a mostly isolated and troubled childhood, Redon expressed his visions rather than the life around him. He described his artistic inspirations as events that occurred in his mind rather than in the physical world. This is evident in his portrayal of Pandora, fixed on the gift box, surrounded by golden forms, representing a pre-opening paradise rather than the chaos that follows her fateful decision.
Guided Discussion
- Which specific moment in Pandora’s story did the artist choose to capture? (Her pivotal choice about opening the box.) What elevates this moment’s significance? (Opening the box leads to calamity and suffering.) Why might Redon have chosen to illustrate this crucial moment?
- How does the scale of Pandora’s figure compare to the rest of the painting? Why might she be depicted so prominently? (Possibly due to her central role in the narrative or to emphasize the grave outcomes of her actions.)
- The box held by Pandora represents various concepts. What might it symbolize? (It can signify the world’s evils and irresistible temptations born from curiosity.)
- Identify the object positioned near the center of the artwork. (The box Pandora is about to open.) Why do you think Redon placed it there? (The box’s significance warrants its central placement, capturing immediate attention.) How does the artist’s color choice draw focus to the box? (The box is painted in contrasting dark hues while the surrounding scene is rendered in light, pleasant colors.)
- What deeper mysteries about existence does this myth elucidate? (It narrates the origin of life’s challenges and the concept of hope.)
- How did Pandora’s choices impact the world? If you were in her position, would you act the same? Why or why not?
Activity
Students will design their boxes to release an emotion of their choice:
- Begin with sketching symbols that embody the selected emotion, paying attention to the significance of color.
- Decide which symbols will be two-dimensional decorations on the surface of the box and which will be three-dimensional items inside it. Consider: How can your box be made intriguing enough to provoke curiosity? Do the external decorations hint at the internal contents?
- Once the designs are established, students will use paint, decorative items, and found objects to manifest their creative visions.
- Using clay, they will create small items to place inside the box, reminiscent of how Prometheus shaped mankind from clay in a divine likeness.
- Finally, the crafted objects should be placed inside the designed box for an extension activity.
Extension Activity
Participants will select one box they find most intriguing. Before opening it, they will jot down the emotion they believe it represents and speculate on its contents. Then, they will open the boxes to compare their guesses with the actual items inside.
Art Standards Alignment
- VA:Cr1.2.5 Apply various artistic exploration methods to begin creating artwork.
- VA:Re7.1.5 Contrast personal artwork interpretations with those of peers.
- VA:Re7.2.5 Examine and articulate the cultural meanings conveyed through visual imagery.
- VA:Re8.1.5 Analyze artwork by assessing form, structure, context, subject matter, visual elements, and materials to uncover the conveyed ideas and emotions.
