Importance of a 'Long-Term' Drug Rehab Program

Drug rehab provides the drug abusers and also their family and friends a chance of getting rid of the destructive effects of drug addiction. The benefits of undertaking this type of treatment are usually very significant that it could alter an individual's lifestyle in a positive way.

A major noticeable advantage of moving into a good drug rehabilitation center is actually physical recovery. The majority of patients begin to have healthier and clearer skin following just one week. Additional physical benefits include healthier liver, heart as well as better digestive function. Patients also begin to think more logical way as they're no longer trying to hide their emotions and thoughts with drugs. Holistic treatments like martial-arts and yoga exercise are also given as a means for accomplishing an emotional as well as physical wellbeing.

Some drugs usually takes quite a long period to go out of the body completely, especially if the person has developed physical-tolerance to conceal the addiction. Actually, some individuals might appear to be very healthy even when they're addicted to drugs like heroin, cocaine or other narcotics. The medical guidance provided during drug rehab may help in reducing drug withdrawal. Specialists suggest that individuals should choose long-term rehab programs for successful and effective detoxification.

Long-term drug rehabilitation contributes to total detoxification where an abuser doesn't look at going back to his / her old habits and attempts to stay away from alcohol or any drug at any expense. Long-term rehab not just takes away the addiction but it also has the tendency to prevent any indications of relapse. One of several crucial actions taken by a drug rehabilitation center is the detoxification (removal of toxins) process. The entire process of detoxification makes sure that the drug leaves the addict's body system and helps him/her build-up a greater level of tolerance. In a period of time, recovering addicts come back to normal functioning of the body. Under stringent medical guidance and supervision, any withdrawal signs are lessened.

Drug rehab works more effectively in treating all of the needs of an abuser and not just substance abuse. Together with addiction, there might be medical or mental health problems that need to get treated. This can be only feasible in long-term rehabilitation programs. Furthermore, counseling and behavioral-therapy sessions are crucial for successful rehabilitation, which must be provided for a long time period.

These programs include behavioral and occupational therapies that teach social and life skills, which makes it simple for an abuser to be accepted back to the society. A number of long-term rehab centers incorporate programs like physical exercise, community-service, as well as outdoor-activities as a part of the treatment.

It is essential to think about all the aspects ahead of signing up yourself or your beloved one in a long-term drug rehab center. The main advantages of this kind of program far outnumber the drawbacks. Without doubt, a long term drug-rehab program is one of the best ways for an abuser to recover effectively without any possibility of a relapse.

An Introduction to Drug Rehab Programs

Millions of people all around the world are struggling with the problem of drug addiction. This dangerous addiction has severe long-term consequences, and it can even lead to death. Fortunately, there are numerous drug rehab programs and centers which specialize in treating patients with this problem. Thanks to them, many people can truly say that they have started a new life. In this article you will find detailed information regarding drug rehab programs.

What Are These Programs?

In a nutshell, these programs refer to methods of addressing drug addiction and abuse. These programs aim to help the patient fight the addiction and prevent him or her from using drugs in the future. When it comes to the treatment that is used in these particular programs, it can be medical, psychotherapeutic or it can be a combination of both. The term "drug addiction" refers to the use of prescription drugs and/or street drugs (which are known for their devastating impact on health).

What Does The Treatment Consist Of?

As mentioned earlier, the treatment can be either medical or psychotherapeutic. The long-term treatment for those who suffer from drug addiction may also include local support groups, recovery houses, care centers and such. Most drug rehab programs provide gender-specific and age-specific. Most drug rehab programs include on-site medical care and a staff of physicians and nurses that will make sure that the patient will withdraw from drug use in a safe and efficient manner (the first 24 hours are critical, since the patient experiences the well-known withdrawal symptoms).

Who Can Benefit From A Drug Rehab Program?

Anybody who has an addiction and wants to get rid of it for good. Fighting an addiction alone (especially if you use street drugs which are highly addictive) is almost impossible. This is where these programs step in and help those who need help. Drug addiction has many health risks: it affects one's health in the long run and those who use drugs are at high risk of contracting potentially life-threatening diseases, such as HIV.

Are These Drug Rehab Programs Efficient?

Yes, these programs are efficient due to the fact that long-term care and assistance is provided. Recovery is not an easy job that can be done over a couple of weeks - it takes months of hard work to completely withdraw from drugs. This is why most rehab programs provide high-quality, continuing care: the patients are carefully monitored and their progress is evaluated. These programs are conducted only by skilled and well-trained professional in the field of drug rehab, specialists who know how to approach a problem in order to treat it quickly and efficiently, without the hassles and with a minimum of discomfort from the patient.

Narconon, for instance, is one of the most efficient drug rehabilitation programs at the moment. The treatment that is used is entirely drug-free, meaning that no drugs or medication is used to treat the addiction.

In conclusion, this is what you need to know regarding drug rehab programs. It is not shameful to ask for help in situations such as this, where drug addiction becomes overwhelming and starts interfering with your life.

An Examination of Drug Rehabs

Drug rehab is increasingly becoming an acceptable and common feature amongst people all over the world. Once considered to be an elitist mode of treatment, its effectiveness has brought many thousands to the doorsteps of numerous drug rehab centres spread across the world. An increase in the number of people seeking treatment from drug abuse in drug rehab centres has also to do with the growing instances of drug use by people of nearly all age groups. But the good news is that these drug rehab centres can cure even the most addictive of drug abusers. The treatment methodology brought into use in the drug rehab centres are carefully researched and tested. Treatment for addiction varies from patient to patient, depending upon the patient's age, the level of abuse, and at times, race and nationality.

Most drug rehab centers deal with specific kinds of addictions such as alcohol addiction, substance abuse, sexual addictions, eating disorders and gambling addiction. In addition any activity that starts hampering an individual's normal life is not a healthy trend and needs to be examined. While undergoing an addiction treatment program at a drug rehab centre, an addict first learns what addiction is, the ill-effects it is likely to or has already had on his or her life as well as on his friends and family and then how to rid themselves of certain behaviors and their use of substances. These addiction treatment programs are directed by experienced counselors and therapists who design their program in a way to delve deep into the mind of the addict and find out the possible reasons for their behavior and their addiction. The program includes both individual and group therapy sessions where the addicts are encouraged to talk about topics such as their childhood, work-related problems or pressures and all issues affecting them.

While the drug addiction treatment program may seem easy to a layman, it is just the opposite. Mort often than not, the process of addiction treatment comes along with psychological problems such as depression, anxiety and similar problems. Therefore, it is a veritable minefield for the counselor or the therapist to condition the addiction treatment program in such a way that they are able to help the addict rid himself/herself of both the addiction as well as any related mental troubles that may be present in their lives. As mentioned previously, addiction treatment programs differ from person to person depending upon a series of factors. The various forms of alcohol and drug addiction treatment programs can be broadly classified as follows:

Inpatient rehab:

Known as the most rigorous form of addiction treatment, this rehab program has the addict living in a residential setting and receiving daily professional care and support from treatment professionals. These professional healthcare experts are working daily with them about their addictions, their repercussions and how they can change their lives.

Outpatient rehab:

Outpatient rehab is one of the simpler addiction treatment routines to be used at a drug rehab. In this case, addicts are required to attend counseling sessions a few days of the week. These therapies mostly last for a couple of hnurs. As is obvious from the nature of this addiction treatment program, it is used mostly for less severe addiction cases.

Mountainside Drug Rehab and Alcohol Treatment Center is a comprehensive and innovative provider of drug addiction treatment for teens as well as adults. Providing drug rehab treatment since the 1990's, they are well-equipped, caring and compassionate in dealing with sensitive addiction issues.

A Painting Within a Painting: Hidden Messages in Dutch Art

Due to the wealth and prosperity of the Netherlands in the 17th century, there were now hundreds of painters creating works for private homes.  Artists and art galleries flourished during what is now known as the Dutch Golden Age.  Genre themes, or scenes of everyday life, were very popular at that time.  When we look at these works today we see paintings with people engaged in a variety of routine activities.

However there is more than meets the eye in most Dutch genre paintings.  Often rather than portraying common activities, genre paintings contained moralizing messages or were allegories of virtue or vice.

Contemporary 17th century viewers would have recognized many levels of symbolism, including the meaning in the painting within a painting.  Let's look at some examples of Dutch genre paintings that have small works of art in the background to better understand their variety of meanings.

The Love Letter, Vermeer, 1669, Rijksmuseum

One common example are love letter paintings, they were a popular theme because due to foreign trade and the Eighty Years War many Dutch men were sent away from home.  This was a genre scene that has many incarnations, typically when we see a woman who is receiving or reading a letter we know it is meant to be a love letter.  What is the message inside? Clues are typically given to the viewer in the painting within a painting.  There are two paintings within the above work by Vermeer.  The top painting shows a man along a road which lets us know that the woman is receiving a letter from someone, likely a fiancé or husband, who is on a journey.

A ship at sea was a common metaphor for love and that is the subject in the botttom painting.  What is going on with the ship gives the viewer a clue as to what is in the letter.  Is the ship on a calm sea? Then all is well and the reader will be getting good news.  Is the ship on a stormy sea? This may mean the reader is receiving some troubling information.  In the Vermeer the ship is on a calm sea, but clouds are rolling in.

Man Writing a Letter/Women Reading a Letter, Gabriel Metsu, 1664-66, National Gallery of Ireland

Gabriel Metsu created these two works to hang together as companion pieces.  In the first a young man is writing a letter and in the second a young woman is reading a letter.  The viewer is meant to understand he is writing a love letter to her, though their exact relationship to one another isn't known.

We can understand by his surroundings that he is traveling, there is a large globe that sits in the corner of the room behind the open window and an oriental carpet is being used as a tablecloth.  The painting on his wall is a pastoral landscape. 

In the other painting we understand with the inclusion of the little dog that the woman is being faithful, in the foreground there is a tiny thimble which lets the viewer know that she was so excited to get her letter she jumped up in the middle of her needlework.

As the woman reads her letter, her maid pulls back a curtain over a framed painting to reveal two ships on stormy seas.  Due to the fact that Metsu shows us that the man is fine and that he created these two works to be hung together, the rough seas would likely be a symbol for the turbulent nature of love, especially when spent apart from a loved one, rather than a symbol of bad news.

The Slippers, Samuel van Hoogstraten, 1654-62, (Louvre)

Another type of genre painting which commonly used a painting within a painting were those with a moralizing message.  We can see an example of this in the van Hoogstraten work known as The Slippers.  At first glance the viewer sees a quiet interior setting with two slippers in the foreground.  On closer examination the work is an allegory of lust and temptation.  The slippers are not a set, there is one man’s and one woman’s.  A broom in the foreground has been left to the side as if to suggest that the woman who was cleaning and a man are in the bedroom together.  The painting within the painting here, the Father Admonishing his Daughter by Netscher (a variation on a well known work by ter Borch) was actually a painting that takes place in a brothel. The contemporary viewer would have taken note of this and immediately understood the allegorical message.

The Doctor's Visit, Jan Steen, 1665
Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen (Rotterdam)

In the same vein of allegories of lust are the many versions of The Doctor's Visit, painter Jan Steen in particular created a number of these.  A doctor's visit genre painting typically shows a young woman being visited by the doctor (often shown as a quack) and contains clues that she isn't sick, but rather is pregnant.

In this particular painting everyone but the young woman seems to know this and to be laughing about it.  To give an added clue here the painting above contains two embracing lovers.  The paper on the floor states, "No medicine is of use, for it is lovesickness."
 

Woman Holding a Balance, Johannes Vermeer, c. 1664, National Gallery of Art

Other versions of messages within paintings contained religious themes. During this time the Netherlands was strongly Protestant and religious works were no longer being painted or hanging in churches.  However religious imagery can be found in many of the paintings within a painting, which is interesting in genre scenes as it would be very uncommon to find these within the average home.

In Vermeer's well known work Woman Holding a Balance, the woman in the painting is dressed in the finest clothing and is surrounded by a variety of expensive jewelry and pearls.  She holds up a small empty balance scale, perhaps to weigh some of her jewelry.  This genre scene takes on an entirely new meaning when the painting in the background is taken into consideration.  

Here we see the Last Judgment and the analogy can be made that Christ will be holding the ultimate balance, weighing the souls of the saved and the damned.  It is perhaps a reminder to the viewer that regardless of the riches you accumulate in life, it is important to take care to live a life of virtue and realize your immortal soul will ultimately have more weight than your possessions.

 

 The Sick Child, Gabriel Metsu, 1663, Rijksmuseum

In our final example we turn again to a Christian religious painting on the wall, this time it is a Crucifixion.  In Metsu's The Sick Child, a young mother holds her little child in her lap.  The child looks pale and unwell and slumps across the mother's legs, much like a modern version of the Pieta found in Italian Renaissance art.  Interesting to note too is the fact that the mother is dressed in a gray shirt, which would have been common, but has a blue skirt with a red undertunic.  At this time women would dress in simple colors in day to day activities, but the Virgin Mary is nearly always shown wearing a dress of royal blue (the color associated with her) with a red undertunic (red symbolizing the blood and Passion of Christ).

The fact that the mother is wearing these colors and that on the wall we have a picture of the Crucifixion of Christ lets the viewer know that Metsu is drawing a comparison between this mother and sick child and the Madonna and Christ.  But what message exactly is he sending the viewer?  He may be likening the sacrifices all mothers make to those of the Virgin Mary, or reassuring parents that she would know how it felt to be worried about your child.  Perhaps Metsu wants to remind viewers not to worry about things such as sick children since Christ has died to bring salvation to everyone.  The exact interpretation would likely have been more apparent to the contemporary viewer.

While the meanings of a painting within a painting vary, always make sure to take note of what the artist has chosen to embed in their paintings.  The subjects within these frames within frames always enhance the viewers understanding of a painting. 
 
 

The Unicorn Tapestries

Elaborate woven tapestries were a common art form during the period of late Medieval and the Renaissance.  Tapestries served the dual purpose of adding warmth to a room and providing beautiful decorations.  Biblical or historic themes were common and often tapestries would be created in a cycle of 4-10 works telling a story.  They were hand-stitched from threads of wool and silk, created in workshops throughout Europe.

The unicorn was seen as a symbol of Christ and was frequently shown in Medieval art.  There are several interesting examples of unicorn tapestries, this blog post will focus on one of the most famous unicorn tapestry cycles known as The Hunt of the Unicorn.

The Unicorn in Captivity (Cloisters Museum), 1495-1505

This seven tapestry cycle was likely created sometime between 1495-1505.  This cycle is displayed in the Cloisters Museum in New York, the branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art dedicated entirely to Medieval Art.  The original patron and tapestry workshop is not known, but the dates can be deduced based on clothing styles of the figures.  It was probably created in Belgium (known at the time as Flanders).  Brussels in particular was known for its high quality tapestry construction around the turn of the 16th century.  

In the late 17th century the cycle was owned by French nobility living in Paris.  After the French Revolution the tapestries were taken down and used by peasants to keep warm and were found lying in a barn 70 years after the revolution.  Unfortunately during the years when they were outside they were damaged, faded and in the case of the fifth tapestry in the cycle, torn badly.  They were recovered in the 1850's by descendants of the French family that once owned them and despite their damage they are still quite well preserved. The Rockefeller family purchased them in the early 20th century and then later donated them to the museum where they hang today.

#1: The Hunters Enter the Woods (Cloisters Museum), 1495-1505

The cycle tells the story of a royal hunt of the unicorn and in these tapestries there are many symbolic ties between the unicorn and Christ.  The unicorn is seen in six of the seven tapestries but he is missing from the first one.  It is the start of the hunt with huntsman and hunting dogs out looking for the unicorn.  If you look carefully you will see the initials "A" and "E" hidden in each tapestry several times.  The "E" is backwards and one example can be seen in the tree between two hunters, others are found in the bottom corners. Notice the distinctive style of clothing worn by everyone in the tapestry.  Every part of the tapestry is filled and the forest floor contains dozens of types of plants and flowers.

#2: The Unicorn is Found(Cloisters Museum), 1495-1505

In the next tapestry the Unicorn is discovered as he dips his horn into the stream to purify the water.  A wide variety of animals wait by the side of the stream to drink out of it afterwards.  The animals include: a panther, a stag, a lion, a rabbit and even a hyena.  Rather than representing animals found in a typical French forest, each animal had its own symbolism.

At the very moment he is putting his horn into the water the unicorn is discovered by the hunters who all point to him.  This lovely tapestry is rather faded and the blue sky was added later after the cycle was recovered.  During the time that this was created the sky would have been replaced by something else such as more trees.  As we can see in the other tapestries, all areas were filled in with decoration and not left a solid flat areas of color.

#3: The Unicorn is Attacked (Cloisters Museum), 1495-1505

The recurring initials have led historians to think these tapestries may have been commissioned for a marriage.  Note that in this tapestry the letters "F" and "R" have been added to this particular work, but they appear to have been added later and not part of the original tapestry.  The viewer can also see different coats of arms on the collars of the hunting dogs which is likely an allusion to the family or families represented by the initials.  The "R" added later may stand for the La Rochefoucaulds, the French noble family who owned these works for a time.

The composition in the 3rd tapestry is quite similar to the 2nd, the unicorn is in the center by the stream and surrounded by hunters, in the 2nd they all point to him and in the work above they all lunge at him with spears. As in the first two we can also note the use of vivid colors and dense foliage.

#4: The Unicorn Defends Itself (Cloisters Museum), 1495-1505

In the 4th tapestry the unicorn has been surrounded and is making an escape by giving a powerful kick, as he kicks outward his horn gouges one of the hunting dogs.  This two follows the compositional set up of the previous two works.  In the foreground a variety of animals continue to drink from the purified stream. 

There is also a #5: The Mystic Capture of the Unicorn, today this is badly torn and only fragments remain.  This is unfortunate as we don't know how the unicorn came to be captured.  In one strip of the tapestry the unicorn is with two women (only the hand of one remains).  The woman who strokes the unicorn is thought to be a maiden (virgin) due to the fact that she is shown in an enclosed garden which was a popular symbol of virginity.  As he is subdued it appears that the other woman is signalling to the hunters.  However since only pieces of this work are still intact that isn't known for certain.

#6: The Unicorn is Killed and Brought to the Castle(Cloisters Museum), 1495-1505

The killing of the unicorn is presented in a rather gruesome way.  If we are to follow the Christian symbolism of the unicorn in this tapestry cycle we can note the following: The unicorn is capable of purifying the water, the unicorn is tamed by a maiden (virgin) and killed violently.  However after he is dead, he is resurrected in the last tapestry.

#7: The Unicorn in Captivity (Cloisters Museum), 1495-1505

The subdued and resurrected unicorn sits within another small enclosure in the final tapestry in this series.  In addition to the Christian symbolism there are also symbols that could reflect that the "maiden" has in fact subdued a bachelor by marrying him, another reason that historians think this was commissioned for a wedding.

Flowers each had their own symbolic meaning and several in this would also tie into a matrimonial theme; for example the lily for faithfulness and the carnation for marriage.  The Metropolitan Museum of Art website says of this work:

"The Unicorn in Captivity may have been created as a single image rather than part of a series. In this instance, the unicorn probably represents the beloved tamed. He is tethered to a tree and constrained by a fence, but the chain is not secure and the fence is low enough to leap over. The unicorn could escape if he wished but clearly his confinement is a happy one, to which the ripe, seed-laden pomegranates in the tree—a medieval symbol of fertility and marriage—testify. The red stains on his flank do not appear to be blood, as there are no visible wounds like those in the hunting series; rather, they represent juice dripping from the bursting pomegranates above."*

*"Unicorn in Captivity, The [South Netherlandish] (37.80.6)". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/37.80.6 (October 2006)  

 

The Uncommon Aspect of a Drug Rehab Facility

Very often, it is heard that a drug rehab program brings about recovery of drug abuse, provocation and addiction. But, how is it done? Obviously, due to the various drug rehab programs that are used in a drug recovery facility. The rehab centers can provide you with a number of abuse rehab facilities. The individual attention is one of the most basic aspects of a drug abuse rehab center. Through this, a number of individuals are benefited and it is more than any other processes. Here, stress is given upon an individual where his addiction towards a specific eldment is assessed through interaction.

The most uncommon aspect of drug rehab facility is that it is legally bounded under the DRR or the Drug Rehabilitation Requirements. The DRR forms a communal basis that regulates drug violence and provocation in a society. It also involves various forms of treatments. The recovery facility in any rehab center includes nurtured food, private screening and mass education.

It is not possible to carry out all these activities at the household premises of the addicted people and so the drug recovery facilities and centers come into the forefront. The drug abuse rehab program, which is the main drug rehab facility events bring about effective drug rehabilitation. This move helps in educating the addicted patients about the various physical hazards, limits of the social boundaries and the legal sentences. The rehab programs for drug rehabilitation holds various screening tests upon individuals and sometimes tends to provide individual private treatment.

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Drug Rehab Programs For Teens

When parents discover that their teenager is using either drugs or alcohol they often react harshly without any thought to the reason behind the using. What parents need to realize is that screaming at your child and punishing them immediately is not the right way to handle the situation. Staying firm but compassionate is the key to successfully talking to your teen. If you let them know that you are willing to listen to their side of the story and stay calm, they will be more willing to open up to you and let you know what is causing them to turn to drugs.

After you have come to the conclusion that there is a drug problem that lies within your teen, it is important to react immediately. There is a variety of teenage drug rehab information online, that you can have access to. Collect a list of different rehabs that are available to your teen. After completing the list, call the rehab centers to check for availability and most importantly their success rates as well as techniques in their treatment.

Teenage drug rehabs have a variety of treatment options to help your child. The first step in rehab is detoxification. This is for teenagers who need relief from withdrawal symptoms. The de-tox step is medically supervised in case an incident occurs during the process. De-tox is a way to rid your teen's body of all the harmful chemicals that drugs or alcohol have left behind. As with most drugs, withdrawal symptoms can lead to extreme nausea and even pain.

A great program to put your teen in after drug rehab is aftercare. Aftercare is meant to help your child remain drug free in the community after rehab is over. The program will consist of your teen meeting with a counselor at specific times or family support groups that provide you with the chance to meet others in same situation. Keeping your child in some sort of treatment program after rehab can be very critical in keeping them clean. Often teens will think once rehab is over, it is okay for them to slip back in to their old habits. It is important for you to keep them in groups or counseling so the thought of rehab stays close in their mind.

Jusepe de Ribera's Classical Subjects

Jusepe de Ribera was a Spanish Baroque painter who worked in Naples (under Spanish rule since the 15th century) for most of his career.  After his move to Naples around 1620 he was known as Lo Spagnoletto (the little Spaniard) and followed in the Caravaggisti manner of painting, which meant that the Italian painter Caravaggio had an enormous impact on his style.  Caravaggio painted with extreme darks and lights in a style known as tenebrism, and was known for painting subjects taken from life who were never shown as idealized figures.  Caravaggio lived in Naples for a brief time in the early 17th century and after his stay much of Neapolitan painting followed his lead in both style and subject matter.

Ribera took Caravaggio's techniques a step further and became well known for portraying figures in an extremely naturalistic style.  Rather than idealizing his models Ribera focused on things such as wrinkles, sagging flesh or grotesque figures.  He was influenced also by Caravaggio's use of tenebrism; painting compositions with dark backgrounds and a strong contrast between light and dark. Ribera always created figures that were highly individualized, such as his portrait representing the Greek mathematician Archimedes. 

 Archimedes, Jusepe de Ribera, 1630, Museo del Prado, Madrid

As we can see in a detail of this painting below, Ribera emphasizes every deep wrinkle in the face of the older model that he uses for Archimedes.  He was less interested in painting the idealized faces associated with the Italian Renaissance and instead was interested in his sitter's character, personality and individuality.

A

 detail of Archimedes, Jusepe de Ribera, 1630

While he painted many Biblical scenes and Catholic saints, Ribera was also the first Spanish painter to take up subjects derived from classical mythology such as his Drunken Silenus (below) and Apollo Flaying Marsyas (not shown) among others.

Drunken Silenus, Jusepe de Ribera, 1626, Museo Nazionale de Capodimonte, Naples

The Drunken Silenus was one of Ribera's first signed and dated works and is characteristic of his early style in the manner of Caravaggio.  In Greek mythology Silenus was the son of Pan and the foster father of Bacchus.  Both Bacchus and Silenus are known for their enjoyment of wine and merriment.  However unlike the regal god Bacchus, Silenus is shown as someone to be loathed or pitied and could be used as an allegory for gluttony.  

In mythology Bacchus granted the king Midas the wish to turn objects to gold after Midas treated his drunken foster father Silenus with kindness.  In Ribera's painting the obese Silenus is shown nude and is surrounded by figures with grotesque features.

 Ixion, Jusepe de Ribera, 1630, Museo del Prado, Madrid

Another example of Ribera's classical subject is in his work Ixion.  In Greek mythology, Ixion spawned the centaurs.  After Ixion tried to seduce Juno (the Queen of the Gods), his punishment was to be tied to a wheel and be turned for eternity. In this painting a cruel looking Satyr has just chained Ixion to the wheel.  As in Drunken Silenus  and Apollo Flaying Marsyas  Ribera paints every detail of these gruesome scenes and creates a compelling image filled with drama.  Here (as in his other work Titus) the main figures are shown being turned upside down which adds to the dramatic feeling of the overall composition.

While best known for his powerful religious paintings created in Catholic Italy and Spain after the Counter-Reformation, the viewer can see that the Classical themes of Jusepe de Ribera are every bit as emotional and dynamic.