Mythology played a central role in the art of the Baroque age, offering artists a rich source of dramatic stories and symbols with which they could challenge the moral, spiritual and scientific certainties of the day. Works of classical mythology – such as the Roman poet Ovid’s eighth-century epic, Metamorphoses – inspired Baroque artists to merge imagination and allegory to create works that would simultaneously elicit emotional responses from the viewer while showcasing the artists’ technical skills. 

Baroque artist Gian Lorenzo Bernini, who performed an instrumental role in establishing the vocabulary of the Baroque style, depicted the Ovidian myth of Apollo and Daphne in a life-size marble sculpture. The work, which can be seen in the Borghese Gallery in Rome, is regarded as one of the artistic marvels of the Baroque age, due to Bernini’s ability to capture dynamic movement, emotional expression and a sense of theatricality. 

Part technological and part animal, Patricia Piccinini’s fantastical, scooter-like beings suggest a new kind of mythology for the twenty-first century. Their ability to foster empathy in the viewer through their hyperreal appearance – along with their sense of movement and wonderous nature – raises complex questions about what constitutes life in a time of genetic engineering and biotechnology. Piccinini’s curious hybrid creatures reflect the Baroque preoccupation with metamorphosis, blending reality with fantasy to explore shifting belief systems.