Are we ever disturbed, surprised, or awestruck nowadays when we encounter the lovely presence of gods and goddesses in an artwork? Maybe in the Middle Ages the mythical appearances of the classical gods could provoke the necessary shiver in the observer. But since the Renaissance the presence of gods and goddesses in fine arts has returned to the playful character it must have had during early Greek times. The erotic-playful connotations these figures suggest can offer great pleasure when we notice their presence anew in contemporary art.

In much of his recent work, Ton van Summeren seems to have