Odysseue und die Sirenen (Odysseus and the Sirens)

Art Historical Context

Otto Greiner’s 1896 lithograph *Odysseus and the Sirens* captures the dramatic moment from Homer’s *Odyssey* when the hero sails past the enchanting yet deadly sirens. Bound to the mast of his ship, Odysseus resists their song while his crew, ears plugged with wax, rows steadily onward. The compact horizontal composition emphasizes both the tension of the encounter and the vastness of the sea. Printed in luminous color with touches of gold on chine collé—a delicate sheet of paper mounted onto a sturdier support—the work showcases the refined possibilities of late-nineteenth-century lithography. The gold accents heighten the mythical aura, catching the light much as the sirens’ allure might have dazzled ancient mariners. This technique allowed Greiner to achieve painterly effects within the accessible medium of print. Acquired by the National Gallery of Art through the Ruth and Jacob Kainen Memorial Acquisition Fund, the sheet exemplifies the period’s renewed interest in classical narratives rendered through innovative graphic processes. Its intimate scale invites close looking, rewarding viewers with both mythic drama and technical brilliance.