Painting reproduction on canvas of the artwork
Faun and Mermaid (Stuck)

The improbable and fascinating union of earth and water is sublimated in “Faun and Mermaid” by Franz von Stuck. In a very vertical format that accentuates elevation, a powerful, hairy brown faun, emerging from the azure waves, cheerfully carries on his shoulders a mermaid of a pale, seductive deathliness. She, smiling and triumphant, holds firmly onto the small horns of the mythological beast as reins. The striking contrast between the dark bestiality of the faun and the cold beauty of the water nymph is a visual metaphor typical of the artist. The marine horizon and the tormented sky in the background give this scene a scent of free savagery and mystical eroticism.