Artist's Comments:
Well, I recently did a few calculations and discovered that, by the end of the Iliad, Menelaus and Helen are actually about 45. That surprised me at the beginning... but it makes sense (Helen leaves a 9-year-old daughter, Hermione, behind when she goes with Paris.) I rather like this idea... the "young lovers" thing is a little overdone. Anyway, I'm proud of Menelaus' face here, but his torso looks pretty bizarre unless you know what he's doing (he's reaching around Helen--his shoulder really isn't huge, just shifted about!). And I love the idea of the most beautiful woman in the world being middle-aged. This is watercolour and china marker.