For the Interpretation of the Myth of Narcissus in Painting

Abstract

The issue of text interpretation is very important and relevant. This issue is especially interesting from an interdisciplinary point of view, when the plot is transferred from one field of art to another. In the present article, we are going to discuss the issue of the myth of Narcissus and its interpretation in painting.

The myth about Narcissus tells us that he was the son of the sea god Cephissus and Naiad Liriope. Narcissus saw his image in the water, fell in love with it, and died with this love. The gods turned him into a flower and named this beautiful flower after him. There are other versions as well. It is believed that Narcissus was an ancient plant deity of mortal and reviving nature. The myth depicts the fear, characteristic for primordial magic, that possessed man when he saw his own image. Calderon's dramas, Gluck and Scarlatti's operas and others are based on the myth of Narcissus.

The myth of Narcissus first became known according to the Greek historian, Pausanias, and later in a much more complex version of Ovidius. About 250 Greek and partly Italo-Roman mythological stories are collected and processed with highly artistic poetic methods in "Metamorphoses". The final part of every myth poetically elaborated by Ovidius is the transformation of man into a new spiritual body or inanimate object: an animal or a plant, a stone, a spring, or a celestial light. Such transformation is theoretically strengthened by the Pythagoras’ Doctrine of Transmigration of Souls, which is presented at the beginning of Book XV. The poet took the genre of transformation from Greek writing of the Hellenistic period and raised it to the highest artistic level.

Caravaggio's "Narcissus" is a sample of easel painting. It is a vertical rectangle in format. It is done with oil paints on canvas. Due to its dimensions, it is perceived well from an average distance. It depicts Narcissus looking hopelessly into the water. The character is portrayed in a realistic setting. It is a sample of mythological painting in terms of genre. The image is conditional and tends towards idealization. The components of the composition are Narcissus, water and its reflection on the water. The object covers the background almost completely. The composition is balanced and leans more toward static than dynamic. There is no movement - Narcissus is motionless, "frozen" in one pose and looks into the water. The viewpoint selected by the artist is frontal. The objects depicted on the picture plane are located close to the viewer. In the picture, the linear origin is not readable. The spatial layer is locked. Spatial illusion is created by showing the volume of objects. The contours of the objects are highlighted. The volume is conveyed through light and shade. The lighting is contrasting. The light source is not readable, but the light direction is - from left to right.

Chronologically, the next work on the subject is John William Waterhouse's "Echo and Narcissus", created in 1903. The painting is housed in the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool. The picture is a sample of easel painting and is a rectangle stretched out horizontally. It is done with oil paints on canvas. It is well perceived from an average distance. Unlike Caravaggio's work, it features two figures: Narcissus and Echo. Echo looks hopelessly at Narcissus, who, in turn, looks into the water and cannot take his eyes off his own image. The characters are depicted in a realistic setting. The image is conditional and leans towards idealization. The constituent parts of the composition are the landscape in the background, Echo, Narcissus, and also the flower, which seems to represent the transformation of the character of Narcissus. The composition is balanced and dynamic. There is movement in several directions: Echo leaning towards Narcissus, and Narcissus himself leaning towards the water. The point of view chosen by the artist is frontal. The reflected objects are depicted quite close to the viewer. The linear origin is not readable in the picture. The viewer is engaged in perceiving the image. As for the construction of the picture space, a deep space is created. The spatial illusion is created by showing the volume of objects. The contours of the objects are highlighted. The volume, which is created through light and shade, is well conveyed. The lighting is even.

The third and important work, which is an interpretation of the myth of Narcissus, belongs to Salvador Dali and is called "The Metamorphosis of Narcissus". In 1938, Dali met Freud. The artist tried to meet him in Vienna as well, but in the end he visited him at his home in London. The Austrian writer Stefan Zweig also lived in the capital of England, and he accompanied Dali to Freud together with the poet Edward James. Dali, unlike other surrealists, left a much better impression on Freud. The next day, Freud sent a letter to Stefan Zweig, thanking him for the visit.