When viewing the painting, the “Madness of Dionysus”, we are reminded of an ancient Greek myth involving a period of time in the life of the Greek god Dionysus in which he is insane, driven to madness by Hera, his father Zeus’s wife. Born of an affair between Zeus and Semele, daughter of king Cadmus of Thebes, Dionysus was destined to be punished for his father's folly. Through trickery and deception on the part of a variety of gods Dionysus did manage to survive to manhood without bearing the fatal fury of his stepmother, Hera. However, upon finally reaching manhood, Hera recognized him as Zeus’s son and drove Dionysus to madness. During this period in his life he wandered the world, accompanied by a wild army of satyrs, maenads and the infamous Amazon queens, fighting battles and even defeating the horrific titans. During the course of his adventures he sailed to Egypt and brought the grapevine with him. He also taught the art of viniculture to the Indians, conquering their country at the same time.

In this mythical painting we see the madness of Dionysus manifested in the image of his dramatic face, with glazed eyes maniacally focused upon some distant foe. Atop his head appears a demon, its ghastly visage a reflection of the demons that lurk within the mind of this god possessed. Surrounding the face of Dionysus we see the attributes of his eventual destiny, lush grape leaves and pearl-like grapes that sprinkle a surreal landscape below. Here blue water and mystical landmasses undulate in a rhythm that could only be realized in an ancient myth. As we experience Dionysus in his state of madness we remember too that it is but a fleeting moment, for soon upon his return to Europe his grandmother Rhea will purify him of the many murders he has committed and initiate him into her wondrous mysteries.