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The Significance of Classical Myths in the Velázquez’s Paintings
Cross-Cultural Studies
2008,
12(2), pp.327-346
DOI : 10.21049/ccs.2008.12.2.327
Publisher : Center for Cross Culture Studies
Research Area : Literature
DOI : 10.21049/ccs.2008.12.2.327
Publisher : Center for Cross Culture Studies
Research Area : Literature
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The topics about the modern epistemology and esthetics were represented in the Velázquez’s paintings. He introduced some painting techniques such as the perspective and the chiaroscuro in order to capture the vivid human realities based on the human experiences. These perspectives have influenced on the interpretation of his paintings. However, why Velázquez selected classical myths as unusual materials to depict the vivid human realities? As an answer to this question, we can focus on some of the Velázquez’s paintings such as <Vulcan’s Forge>, <The Spinners>, and <The Triumph of Bacchus> which were painted in his heyday and based on the classical myths. Because Velázquez paid attention to the vivid human realities, his paintings did have immediate correlation with the human lives in general. Based on the mythical materials, what kind of messages did his paintings aim to give us? This article investigates that how the classical myths could be reinterpreted in the Velázquez’s paintings considering the interaction between the Velázquez’s artistic viewpoint and the Spanish background in the 17th century. In order to achieve this goal, this article reviews the significance of the Velázquez’s painting techniques at that time and analyzes the Velázquez’s works based on the classical myths.
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