NARCISSUS AND ECOLOGY

Starting from the 1903 painting Echo and Narcissus by John William Waterhouse, we focused on the idyllic landscape in which the characters are located. The latter led us to the topic of ecology, which is a particularly current issue. We have then decided to use this artistic itinerary to make the primary school children aware of the importance of the environment preservation.

This room has both a narrative and illustrative goal. It shows a dream in which Eco and Narcissus, the two main characters, fall asleep in a locus amoenus and then wake up in a contemporary, polluted and urbanized reality. Eco is the personification of ecology. 

The contrast between uncontaminated and industrialized environment arouses in the characters such a strong disappointment and concern that they decide to look for a solution. They understand that the only way to at least partially recover the lost Eden is to call for a collective and active intervention.

In order to make the project more engaging, we have included some simple, easily and applicable tips that can be a starting point for the children's involvement in an educational debate.