Painting Pandoras: A Volunteer’s Reinterpretation

Abby McCormac, our Curatorial Volunteer, discusses her participation in the Youth Panel’s exhibition of Pandora Unboxed.

John Dickson Batten’s painting, Pandora, portrays the first mortal woman of Greek mythology in her earliest form. Standing nude on a plinth, Pandora is the central focus of the piece, freshly sculpted from clay. She is observed by her creator, Hephaestus, along with Athena, her followers, and us, the audience.

Permanently on display in the Staircase Hall Exhibition Space, the painting faces the recently installed exhibition, Pandora Unboxed, which showcases artwork from the Youth Panel. Tasked with reimagining Batten’s Pandora, their work provides a fresh perspective on the myth, exploring themes such as gender, race, and the representation of disability in art. As a Curatorial Volunteer for the University of Reading’s Art Collection, I had the opportunity to contribute my own artistic response to Batten’s iconic piece.

I participated in monthly sessions with the Youth Panel from October to January. After we discussed, analysed and critiqued the artwork, we had the opportunity to learn from local artist, Lisa-Marie Gibbs. She led a session on how to prepare and use egg tempera. This medium was used by Batten for his painting and inspired by him we used this for our reinterpretations.

I focused on Pandora and specifically her as a representation of pure beauty. My reimagining depicts Pandora clothed and inside her opened box. I employed the use of colour to represent the emotions Pandora unleashed in the world, with the darker strokes representing misfortune and the lighter strokes layered on top symbolising hope. Evoking Batten’s work, I painted Pandora in the centre of my composition, and in the same statuesque pose. However, I clothed Pandora using the orange and blue cloth that Athena is seen holding in the original.

Pandora is often depicted in the nude, with many artists drawing parallels between the myth and the biblical story of Eve from the Bible. Batten’s decision to paint Pandora in the nude is representative of his focus on her creation. In contrast, I chose to clothe Pandora, with my painting directly following the act of her opening the box. This mirrors Eve’s story, as she too, felt the need to hide herself after eating the forbidden fruit.

Batten’s depiction of Pandora’s nudity, however, calls for greater exploration. Inspired by the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, Batten strove for realism and detail in his work, as well as the ability to represent pure beauty. His Pandora embodies a male’s perspective of femininity – gracefully curved and shaped with an hourglass figure. Similarly, Gabriel Rosetti in 1871, used Jane Morris as his model and muse for his image of Pandora. Both artists shaped their interpretation of Pandora based on their ideal of feminine beauty.

However, I felt Pandora’s nudity made her vulnerable and subject to the male gaze. It was only 20 years prior to Batten’s painting that women were first allowed to attend life classes at the Royal Academy and so representation of the female form in art was still largely dictated by men. In my painting, I chose to shield her, allowing the audience to decide their understanding of pure beauty.

Alongside my artwork are other interpretations of Pandora created by the Youth Panel. Each represents a different reimagining of Batten’s piece with some reconceptualising Pandora to represent modern-day views.

This exhibition is currently on display and is also available to view online and via our digital guide. If you want to learn more about Batten’s painting of Pandora, check out our Curator, Dr Hannah Lyons’ blog.