MANARA

MILO MANARA The Metamorphosis of Lucius, Les Humanoïdes Associés 1999 Original plate no. 36. India ink and colored inks on paper 50 × 67.7 cm (19.69 × 26.65 in.) This relatively faithful adaptation of Apuleius' L'Âne d'or, a 2nd-century Latin classic, is undoubtedly one of Milo Manara's best works. In this sequence, Lucius has been transformed into a donkey by sorcery. He has a multitude of misadventures, the erotic character of which is of course exploited by the Italian artist. But a prayer the hero makes to the goddess Isis reveals that he will be able to free himself from the evil spell in a procession in favor of the goddess at Cenchrées. Here he is, in the middle of this bacchanal, carrying the statue of the goddess. Manara's talent for drawing bodies, which come to life in this truly pictorial composition, is to be admired.