A Fork in The Road: Narcissus
7:00 AMA Fork in The Road
Decisions Made in Art
Curated by Sydney Reed
Sometimes, the story behind the painting doesn’t completely match how you view the painting. There are times when the history of the painting’s subject doesn’t seem to match the feeling emanated from the work hanging on the wall. I first experienced this when viewing Caravaggio’s Narcissus. When I look at this painting, I see sadness. Not the sadness that comes with dropping your iPhone to find the screen has shattered, but sincere, deep, earth-shattering pain. This sadness first comes from the darkness of the painting. Although Narcissus is lit almost by a spotlight, the contrast between that light and the darkness surrounding him is drastic. He seems utterly alone, with only his reflection to keep him company. His face seems forlorn, as if he is realizing something, and his left hand appears to be preparing to wipe across the water, blurring the reflection.
I decided to do further research on the painting and understand why Narcissus looks so incredibly sad, only to find a quite unexpected story. Narcissus’ story appears in Metamorphoses as told by Ovid. It is written that Narcissus fell in love with the reflection he saw of himself in a pond and could not stop staring. He eventually died while staring at his reflection, as he couldn’t leave the image he saw in the rippling water.
To me, this tells the story of a vain boy whose self absorption led to his demise, but the painting almost reflects a boy who realizes the faults of his ways as he stares at his reflection. He stares past the surface of the reflection and realizes what his vanity has led to, and he understands that he is trapped in his cycle of love for himself.
After reading the story behind the painting, I questioned my view of the painting. I began to wonder why I felt what I felt when looking at the painting, but then I stopped myself. My translation of the painting was just that – mine. If this year’s art history class has taught me anything, its to be confident in my decisions regarding art and to not worry when my opinions of art clash with others’, so long as I can express my decision with observations that support how the painting makes me feel. The biggest decision a viewer of a painting can make is deciding how to interpret the work as a whole and why such interpretation is warranted. So if you view Caravaggio’s Narcissus in a completely different manner than I do, that is perfect and honestly, expected.
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| Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, Narcissus, ca. 1597 |
Sometimes, the story behind the painting doesn’t completely match how you view the painting. There are times when the history of the painting’s subject doesn’t seem to match the feeling emanated from the work hanging on the wall. I first experienced this when viewing Caravaggio’s Narcissus. When I look at this painting, I see sadness. Not the sadness that comes with dropping your iPhone to find the screen has shattered, but sincere, deep, earth-shattering pain. This sadness first comes from the darkness of the painting. Although Narcissus is lit almost by a spotlight, the contrast between that light and the darkness surrounding him is drastic. He seems utterly alone, with only his reflection to keep him company. His face seems forlorn, as if he is realizing something, and his left hand appears to be preparing to wipe across the water, blurring the reflection.
I decided to do further research on the painting and understand why Narcissus looks so incredibly sad, only to find a quite unexpected story. Narcissus’ story appears in Metamorphoses as told by Ovid. It is written that Narcissus fell in love with the reflection he saw of himself in a pond and could not stop staring. He eventually died while staring at his reflection, as he couldn’t leave the image he saw in the rippling water.
To me, this tells the story of a vain boy whose self absorption led to his demise, but the painting almost reflects a boy who realizes the faults of his ways as he stares at his reflection. He stares past the surface of the reflection and realizes what his vanity has led to, and he understands that he is trapped in his cycle of love for himself.
After reading the story behind the painting, I questioned my view of the painting. I began to wonder why I felt what I felt when looking at the painting, but then I stopped myself. My translation of the painting was just that – mine. If this year’s art history class has taught me anything, its to be confident in my decisions regarding art and to not worry when my opinions of art clash with others’, so long as I can express my decision with observations that support how the painting makes me feel. The biggest decision a viewer of a painting can make is deciding how to interpret the work as a whole and why such interpretation is warranted. So if you view Caravaggio’s Narcissus in a completely different manner than I do, that is perfect and honestly, expected.
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