Ulisse alla corte di Alcinoo re dei Feaci

Gathered around Alcinous, King of the Phaeacians, at the centre, the figures lean towards the right, towards Ulysses, their slight bodily inclination emphasizing their intense involvement. In this work, traces of Venetian colourism and purism combine under the effect of the light that derives from the left side of the canvas and enfolds most of the composition, with decisive impact on the overall tension of the scene.
The mythological theme – flanking the medieval, in Romanticism – finds consistent expression in Hayez’s painterly language.