Artists and Their Muses

What is a Muse?
According to Merriam Webster… The word means a source of inspiration and in the historical sense it referred to any of the nine sister goddesses in Greek mythology. “The Muses presided over the arts (including music) and literature. An artist or poet about to begin work would call on his particular Muse to inspire him, and a poem itself might begin with such a call; thus, Homer’s Odyssey begins, ‘Sing to me of the man, Muse’ (that is, of Odysseus)”.

A shrine to the Muses was called a “museum”. The origin of the word “museum” (1605–15), is Latin. “A mūsēum is a place sacred to the Muses, a building devoted to learning or the arts”.

A few years ago I posted a question for my Facebook artists friends. I wanted to know about their Muses — who they are and what role do they play in their creative process? The replies I received are diverse, imaginative and insightful. I am pleased to present this collection of replies “Artists and Their Muses”.

My question attracted more than 100 comments. You will read some of them below.

The 9 Muses
• Calliope, “The Fair Voiced,” is the eldest of the muses and presides over epic poetry.
• Clio, “The Proclaimer,” is the muse of history. She carries a scroll of knowledge.
• Erato, “The Lovely,” has domain over the poetics of love and mimicry. She carries a lyre.
• Euterpe, “The Giver of Pleasure,” plays a flute. Her sphere of influence is music.
• Melpomene, “The Songstress,” wears the mask of tragedy, over which she presides.
• Polyhymnia, “She of Many Hymns,” is the muse of sacred poetry. She wears a veil.
• Terpsichore, “The Whirler,” had dominion over dance.
• Thalia, “The Festive,” wears the mask of comedy.
• Urania, “The Heavenly,” presides over both astronomy and astrology.

About Giorgio de Chirico’s “The Disquieting Muses”
At the front of the painting are the two Muses, dressed in classical clothing. One is standing and the other sitting, and they are placed among various objects, including a red mask and staff, an allusion to Melpomene and Thalia, the Muses of tragedy and comedy. The statue on a pedestal in the background is Apollo, leader of the Muses.

Dora Maar Was Picasso’s Muse
An interesting fact is about Dora Maar. Throughout the ‘30s and ‘40s, she was the lover and creative muse of Pablo Picasso. She was a photographer, and inspired many of Picasso’s famous cubist paintings, among which are Weeping Woman, Portrait of Dora Maar, and Woman Dressing Her Hair. She was also the only person who was allowed to capture the various stages of Guernica while Picasso was working on it.

The Muse of Today
Today a Muse may be anyone’s special creative spirit. Many artists have also chosen living human beings to serve as their Muses. And Mother Nature is a Muse for many artists.

Here are a few of the 100 replies I received from Facebook Friends.

Tina Rumbaugh Natonabah
My main muses are my dreams that come in the night…. they can be very general – like a feeling or a color.. or very detailed with specific answers to technical issues I encounter along the way. Dreams are messages, nudges, intuition and spiritual revelations all at once.

Barbara Slitkin
Sometimes they are there taking me somewhere in my work, I did not expect to go. Other times, they might show themselves as a self portrait, just for conformation. I might be working in a dark room at night not actually seeing well. The next day in full light, I see my problems got fixed!

Carol Berning
I would say that I have two muses. One is my 95-year-old mother for whom I am care giver. I’ve completed many sketches, drawings, and paintings of her before and since she came to live with me. I capture her working in the garden, napping, quilting, or bonding with my cat. My other muse is the human condition. When my husband was an infantry officer in Vietnam during the 60’s, he snapped photos of the Vietnamese people. I used those faded snapshots to create portraits of Vietnamese children, wondering where they are today, some 50 years or so later.

Peter Van Giesen
Great question. For me my inspiration arises from within my deepest sense of self – the spirit of breath of life causing me to exercise creativity. Perhaps a goddess of the wind is a physical manifestation of the wind coming and going in its fanastic mystical displays. My art is a result of sporadic surges of energy. A creative co-action occurs as I am driven before the wind of the spirit of life.

Scott Glaser
For me it’s MUSEums – nothing more inspirational than the work of our contemporaries and those who have come before us.

Bill Massey
As a noun, it means a person — especially a woman — who is a source of artistic inspiration. In mythology, the Muses were nine goddesses who symbolized the arts and sciences. I have taken pretty literally with my imagery, but also with the Renaissance, Romantic classical composers, and a bit of Pre-Raphaelites mixed in.

James Bacchi
My muses inspire strength, beauty and above all, tension.

Alan M Richards
My muse tells me when my work stinks or is good, or when something is missing or too much. I generally listen to my muse if I know what’s good for me. Going against my muse is playing with fire. Anyone have some ointment?

Glen Donaldson
I met a woman in 2014. She was a great creative. We became instant friends. We worked together on so many art projects. She was a constant inspiration to me for years. One of the most productive art years in quite a long time. Unfortunately, we parted ways, but the thoughts of her still inspire a creative thought every now and then.

Sue Gilbert
My muse has a name and quirky personality. She prods me, coaches me, and plops ideas down onto my sketchbook. She always inspires me to do better than I think I possibly can. Where would I be without her?

Janet Jordan

What an inspiring question Renee! Most of the time my muses are at play, whimsical, carefree and pulling on heartstrings. Sometimes, they are deep in thought, contemplating, and figuring out the best way to move forward. Not until composing this answer, did I realize that my muses come from some emotional place inside of me. I thought I was just a bystander. They are not me, but playful or contemplative, they are an expression of my deepest feelings. Perhaps that is why much of my composition takes place during the sculpting process. I experiment with my wire armature to convey the perfect message, even when I have already covered it with clay. I know when my sculpture is finished, by standing back, looking and feeling satisfied that nothing more needs to be said. Art is much stronger than words.

Cathy Bouchez
My muse is my partner and until we started dating 2 years ago, I had no idea I was an artist. He is an artist himself. As we spent more time dating, I realized that you do not have to have any formal training to be an artist, you just need the drive to create. I started with photography about 1 1/2 year ago. He’s a painter and more and more the desire to paint grew in me. In February, I started painting. Since, I have been exploring media and genres. I guess he inspires me in a broad sense that he brought a side of me that was buried so deep, I didn’t know it. He’s also the person I turn to with technical issues. He enjoys seeing me excited about a new idea.

Anne Weston Stine
Nature is my muse! Her ever-changing beauty means I never lack finding inspiration. It is my goal as an artist to have my work be the bridge that connects the viewer’s heart with the awesome spiritual love found in Nature.

Laura Eisen Hunt
My muse. Is she/he the one who tells me to show up in my studio and get crackin’?

Roopa Dudley
My muse is Aphrodite. She is with me everywhere I go and watches over my every brush stroke like a gestapo whispering into my ears “I don’t care if what you paint is grotesque or repugnant as long as it ends up looking beautiful in the end”.

John Davis Held
My art has a sense of peace and lightness and beauty which wouldn’t be possible without my wife — who is my muse indeed!

Linda Watson
My Muse is love. She inspires me every time I witness a sunset or a starry night. She fills my heart with color and light and pushes me to recreate the majesty of the moment.

Laura Hunt
My muse. Is she/he the one who tells me to show up in my studio and get crackin’?

Mary Mirabal
My muse is Georgia O’Keeffe. Her attitude about life and creating art totally inspire me.

Olivia Alexander
The created natural world and its beauty is my muse. (And friends that encouraged me on the days I want to quit )

Orit-Artist Reuben My muse is light. I’m inspired when I see sunlight bathing something and creating pleasing shapes of glowing light and quiet shadows.

Sharon Furrate Bailey: Emmy Lou Harris is my muse. Her music soothes me all the time.