Little Bear
Ursa Minor

There are a myriad of stories and legends relating to Ursa Minor (Little Bear). Many know it as the Little Dipper, home of the North Star. Its counterpart is Ursa Major, or the Great Bear. According to Greek mythology, Zeus was infatuated by the lovely Callisto(a nature spirit). When Hera (wife of Zeus) found out, she transformed Callisto into a bear to be hunted. Zeus placed Callisto in the heavens and she remained in the form of the Great Bear. Her son, Arcas, would grow up to be the ancestral founder of the Arcadians, before he joined his mother in the sky as Ursa Minor..

The painting, Little Bear (Ursa Minor), portrays Little Bear before he ascends to journey with his mother in the night heavens. In the painting, Denton has chosen to present Callisto as the lovely young woman she was before her transformation. Callisto gazes gently down upon the Little Bear before they both travel together in the night sky. Little Bear (Ursa Minor), saturated with sable shadows, crystalline colors, and shimmering stars, abounds with maternal tenderness.