Paul Manship energized the static, idealized forms of Greek and Roman antiquity with the controlled power and rhythms of the Machine Age. During Manship's studies at the American Academy in Rome, his intimate contact with Classical art profoundly affected his development, resulting in works such as this witty interpretation of the myth of Europa. Taking the form of a bull, the Greek god Zeus abducted the Asian maiden Europa and carried her over the sea, represented by the dolphins, to the island of Crete. The continent that was to be her new home was named for her forever after.
Never has there been a more poised victim than Manship's Europa, who appears utterly unperturbed by her abduction. She sits rigidly and cross-legged on the bull, riding backwards as she listens to the whispers of Eros. The rhythmic composition sets horizontal against vertical and speed versus stillness, with the bull's horns, tail, and legs opposing the force of Europa's upright posture. Manship was particularly interested in the surfaces of his sculptures: here, he rubbed the work to give it an antique finish. The agate base is an integral part of the composition. Its grain repeats the stylized treatment of Europa's hair and also creates the impression that the dolphins are swimming on water. Manship completed numerous public commissions, including the fire-carrying Prometheus in New York City's Rockefeller Center.
Pray tell my loving father that Europa has left her native land, seated upon a bull, my ravisher, my sailor, and, as I think, my bed-fellow.
-Nonnus, from Dionysiaca, 5th century
