At first glance it is a simple painting, but a closer look tells a very different story. To many the painting appears to be nothing more than paint slung onto a canvas in a hurried and sloppy matter. Some might even say it's not real art, that it looks like something a child would do during playtime. And that is where the beauty lies. It is simple, but yet not straightforward and maybe not so simple after all.

The tale of Pythoness is one born out of Greek mythology. It starts with a grudge held by Apollo, toward the Serpent that brought great hardship to Apollo’s mother. After slaying the Serpent, he left the massive body of the Python to rot in the city of Delphi. Delphi was famous for the Oracles that resided on the Mountain, and later is where Apollo would build his Temple. As the story goes, the Priestess that sat on the throne in the Temple, was given the name Pythia. The Pythia was able to connect with Apollo, and gain prophetic wisdom for those who sought out her services and were willing to make a sacrifice.

This simplified story now has viewing the painting in a whole new manner. The viewer can now ask the painting more complex questions. Each brush stroke appears to be more purposeful, they beg one to ask “why are you there, and not somewhere else on the canvas?”. Why is paint splattered in one area, but more controlled in another? And why are some colors vivid and bold, while others seem to fade out or bleed through? That is the beauty of Abstract Art, it is not what scene did an artist try to recreate, but what feeling are they trying to express to the viewer or emotion are they trying to provoke within them.

Translation Essay