The Second Birth of Dionysus

George Platt Lynes American

Not on view

While living in Paris in the 1920s, Lynes developed friendships with many artists of the Surrealist circle, including Jean Cocteau and Man Ray. Influenced by the Surrealists’ interest in mythology, Lynes made a series of photographic interpretations of ancient Greek legends. According to one version of the Greek myth, Dionysus—son of Zeus and a mortal woman—is rescued from his dying mother’s womb and reborn from the thigh of his father. Lynes depicted the legend by manipulating two negatives into one print and airbrushing the seams to create a dreamlike image of the fantastical birth.

The Second Birth of Dionysus, George Platt Lynes (American, East Orange, New Jersey 1907–1955 New York), Gelatin silver print

This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Open Access

As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.

API

Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.