My artistic awakening...
How one painting defined what I think about art
Tonight, I would like to share the story of the first time I became aware of Art and its life changing potential.
It’s one of my fondest and most transformative memories.
But, before we get there, some considerations must be made.
How Art came to be
The short answer: no one knows.
Art pre-dates our attempts to define it. It’s not even exclusive to us.
And no, I’m not talking about animals that sing, dance ou create large, geometric circles in the sand1 to attract mates, although scientist have began to sustain that some species, particularly mammals and birds, have developed and transmit patterns of behavior akin to culture2.
Homo neanderthalensis also created accessories and artifacts with symbolic meaning before meeting homo sapiens3. For example, the oldest known cave paintings, most likely made by Neanderthals at least 64,000 years ago, are in the Spanish caves of La Pasiega, Maltravieso and Ardales.
The process of using/transforming materials available in nature to showcase our knowledge, experiences, beliefs and emotions is being refined for dozens of thousands of years.
Who knows how much of it has been lost due the scarcity of records — the invention of writing systems, in addition to allowing us to develop Literature, also gave us a much needed tool for keeping track of events, technics and culture.
Is Art the natural progression of cognition and abstract language? Have different art forms originated from different instincts or genes? Is it the consequence social skills and competition? Scientist will probably continue to debate over it for a long time.
What we do know is that humans are intensely drawn to Art. Be it music, storytelling, dance, painting, sculpting, carving — it was big deal then and it remains a big deal now.
Just like our hunter-gather ancestors would sit by the fire and enjoy performances by shamans or fellow tribe members at night, most of us today can’t wait to get off work to listen to music, watch a movie or read that book that has been waiting for us at the nightstand.
So what is Art?
Art and its multiple definitions
Depending on who you ask, Art can be a lot of things.
Different cultures have different principles and values — so do people, even those from the same culture. If we could travel in time and space, we would see an endless myriad of perspectives on Art.
Some people associate Art with beauty (as in aesthetic stimulation and not necessarily something pretty); others associate it with emotion (expression or evocation).
Some prioritize intellectual aspects of Art and its use to relate history, reasoning, reflection. Technic is also widely discussed and its mastery, highly praised.
Last, but no least, some people associate Art with form, which leads us to wonder what forms does Art take.
In the sense, Noël Carroll4 argues that Art, for most of our history, was the realm of representation — we tried to portray ourselves and the world around us. From the end of the 18th century to the end of the 19th century, Art became primarily a means of expression (What did the artist intend to convey? What do they feel?). After that, Art focused on form, but the lack of established forms and content makes us feel like there is no longer even a semblance of definition of Art.5
If we were to use some platonic ideas on the nature of truth we discussed on Fortnight #1 of our Course in Humanities, we could say Art is a Form we haven’t been able to reach.
Without a clear definition for it, each one of us ends up discovering our own.
What Art is to me
Now we get to the reason this essay came to be: Saturn Devouring His Son (Saturno devorando a su hijo), by Spanish artist Francisco Goya (1746 – 1828).
This is one of the 14 Black Paintings6, painted by Goya in the later years of his life (between 1820 and 1823). It used to be on the walls of his house, Quinta del Sordo (Deaf Man's Villa). Now it’s part of the Museo del Prado collection.
There are a lot of interpretations for this painting, but they don't concern us right now.
I first saw Saturn Devouring His Son when I was 13 or 14 years old (I remember the year, not the precise date).
I was going through that period in life in which one discovers the world isn't black and white, and people are more complex than what meets the eyes.
Growing up a bookworm, I was familiar with the myth of Cronos (Saturn for the Romans). The Titan ate his children due to fear of a prophecy saying one of them would overthrow him, just like he did with his own father (Uranus), who kept him and his siblings trapped inside their mother (Gaia).
I had always thought of Cronos as a mere villain, after all, what kind of father eats his own children?
However the anguished look on his face and the bloody, dismembered body of his son (the myths usually say or imply he ate his children whole) made me halt and seriously think about what goes on the mind of someone like that.
I tried to imagine being trapped inside the Earth, finally standing up to the Sky and pushing it back so I could walk freely, only to find out I was destined to end up the same way.
Whether he fought against his dad or not, whether he ate his children or not, Cronos was doomed to never find freedom.
Suddenly he became one of the most pitiful deities in all Greek mythology. Terrifying, yet wretched.
That intense and dark dialogue I had with Goya changed the way I approach not only Art, but life itself.
Naturally I had seen plenty of paintings before, not to mention other media, like literature, film, music etc. Nevertheless I didn't consciously absorb them or, worse, I was too focused on entertainment7.
For the first time in my life, I had a conversation with someone through their work — a conversation that was intellectually, emotionally and and aesthetically stimulating. Goya made me look at things from a different perspective, feel something I hadn’t felt before and marvel at the piece itself.
I know a lot of people might think this painting is hideous and disturbing, but it’s beautiful to me. All time favorite, no doubt.
Because of that painting, I feel more, I know more, I am more than used to.
And that is what Art means to me.
I suggest checking out the white-spotted pufferfish (Torquigener albomaculosus) courtship practices.
The idea itself isn't new, but accepting without immediate scorn is.
It was widely believed Neanderthals were our “dumb” cousins and only copied our ancestors, but this is changing over the years. For more information, I suggest reading Néandertal, mon frère, by Silvana Condemi and François Savatier.
Philosophy of Art: A Contemporary Introduction, 1999.
This is a Western perspective of Art history/philosophy that doesn't necessarily align with Art outside the european sphere of influence.
The Black Paintings (Pinturas negras) is the name commonly given to a group of 14 pieces by Francisco Goya, originally painted as murals on the walls of his house between 1819 and 1823 and later transferred to canvas.
To me, entertainment is a form of cultural manifestation designed amuse and distract. Content is a form of cultural manifestation that seeks profit. Art can be entertaining and profitable. Entertainment can also be profitable. Content is a plague and it’s slowly killing us.