Las Hilanderas
Las Hilanderas | |
---|---|
Artist | Diego Velázquez |
Year | c. 1657 |
Medium | canvas |
Dimensions | 220 cm × 289 cm (87 in × 114 in) |
Location | Museo del Prado, Madrid |
Las Hilanderas (Spanish pronunciation: [las ilanˈdeɾas]; "The Spinners") is a painting by the Spanish painter Diego Velázquez, in the Museo del Prado of Madrid, Spain. It is also known by the title The Fable of Arachne. Most scholars regard it as a late work by the artist, dating from 1657-58, but some argue that it was done c. 1644-48.[1] Velázquez scholar Jonathan Brown writes that Las Hilanderas and Las Meninas are arguably Velázquez's "two greatest paintings.... [T]hey are the largest, most complicated compositions executed between 1640 and 1660, a period during which Velázquez painted mostly portraits of single figures".[2]
Traditionally, it was believed that the painting depicted women workers in the tapestry workshop of Santa Isabel. In 1948, however, Diego Angula observed that the iconography suggested Ovid's Fable of Arachne, the story of the mortal Arachne who dared to challenge the goddess Athena to a weaving competition and, on winning the contest, was turned into a spider by the jealous goddess. This is now generally accepted as the correct interpretation of the painting.
It was painted for Don Pedro de Arce, huntsman to
Stylistic elements, such as the lightness, the economical use of paint, and the clear influence of the Italian
In Las Hilanderas, Velázquez developed a layered composition, an approach he had often used in his earlier bodegones, such as the
The painting has been interpreted as an allegory of the arts and even as a commentary on the range of creative endeavor, with the fine arts represented by the goddess and the crafts represented by Arachne. Others think that Velázquez' message was simply that to create great works of art, both great creativity and hard technical work are required. Other scholars have read political allegories into the work and interpreted it through popular culture.
See also
References
- ^ Brown, Jonathan, Velázquez: Painter and Courtier. New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1986, p. 302, n.32.
- ^ Velázquez: Painter and Courtier, p. 252.
- ^ "La légende d'Arachné" (in French). Retrieved 20 February 2013.
- ISBN 978-1-78551-444-9.
- ^ Jonathan Brown writes, "By inserting a quotation of this famous work [The Rape of Europa] into the composition, Velázquez implies his belief in the nobility and transcendental value of the art of painting. Titian is equated with Arachne, and Arachne could 'paint' like a god. Velázquez's homage to Titian has another dimension because Titian was the favorite painter of Charles V and Philip II, by whom he had been rewarded with honors and presents.... Therefore, Titian provided an artistic and social paradigm for the elevated status of painting at the court of Spain. By paying tribute to this distinguished predecessor in a style that is profoundly Titianesque, Velázquez claimed a place in the succession of the Venetian master..." Brown, Jonathan, Velázquez: Painter and Courtier. New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1986, p. 253.
Sources
- Romano, Eileen (2006). Art Classics: Velázquez. ISBN 0-8478-2812-3.
- Bird, Wendy. "The Bobbin and the Distaff", Apollo, 2007-11-01
External links
- "Enslaved sovereign": aesthetics of power in Foucault, Velazquez and Ovid. Article by Sira Dambe, Journal of Literary Studies, December 1, 2006
- Spanish Culture Official Website in English
- Velázquez , exhibition catalog from The Metropolitan Museum of Art (fully available online