20th Century European School

European school of the 20th century.
"Marine Allegory", 1920.
Drawing on paper.
Signed with initials and dated in the lower left corner.
Measurements: 32 x 43 cm; 48 x 59 cm (frame).

An endless number of allusions to the maritime world are displayed in this variegated composition. Two mermaids with long hair and bare breasts preside over the scene, trimming their graceful bodies on a sea full of fish, jellyfish, seahorses and starfish and other objects related to the nautical world (such as a rudder or boat anchors). The large boats in the background could allude to the myth of the sirens in Homer's Odyssey, when Ulysses passed through their territory and tied himself to a mast so as not to fall for their charms, while the rest of his crew members had covered their ears with wax so as not to hear them, because their song was so evocative that it caused men to drown.