Hermes Ordering Calypso to Release Odysseus (c. 1670), Gerard de Lairesse

Lairesse captures one of the most poignant moments in The Odyssey: Hermes delivers Zeus’s command that Calypso must finally release Odysseus and allow him to continue his long journey home. Odysseus appears less than enthusiastic about his departure, while Calypso turns toward the viewer, as if appealing for sympathy or perhaps for someone to challenge the gods’ decree.

The scene feels especially timely in light of Christopher Nolan’s recent adaptation of The Odyssey, in which Charlize Theron portrays Calypso, the immortal nymph whose love for Odysseus cannot overcome his longing for Ithaca. Seeing Lairesse’s interpretation alongside Nolan’s version highlights the enduring dramatic tension of the episode: duty and destiny on one side, desire and attachment on the other.

My favorite detail is the mischievous putto in the foreground, who seems delighted to be playing dress-up with Odysseus’s helmet and weapons.