MUSE

 I occasionally get a sense of overwhelming amazement while viewing a truly remarkable work of art, both for the creative act itself and the technical skill required to make it possible. I've frequently experienced such moments when I've thought, "Wow. How did all of this happen? What served as the piece's inspiration? And the topic of muses comes up invariably whenever inspiration for the arts is discussed.

I'm not talking about how painting was presumably invented, though the story of its genesis is fascinating in and of itself. wherein our ancestors painted their cave walls directly with color applied using their palms. This one is far more fantastical; according to a myth made up by the Roman author, who was widely read by older people in the first century, a Corinthian woman painted the very first portrait of a person ever in 600 BC. She was in love with her soldier boyfriend, who was leaving the town the next day, and was sometimes referred to as "Cora" or simply the "Corinthian maid." That evening, late at the maid's home, the young guy dozed off. As the maid admired her beloved, she caught sight of his shadow cast by the flickering candlelight on the wall behind him. After having an epiphany, she carefully drew his profile onto that wall, capturing his likeness so she could remember him and their romance even after he was gone. Actually, portraiture had just been invented.

The romantic aspect of this mythology undoubtedly contributed to its rise to popularity during the late eighteenth century, when everything Greek or Roman was regarded as the height of refinement.

 Although the love tale is undeniably swoon-worthy, what I adore most about this novel is something else entirely. The Corinthian maid, the artist's creation, is a woman, despite the fact that the subject, or the muse, is actually a man.