Good Morning Google+ your daily story about art:
This Sunday we remember the Italian Mannerist painter Federico Zuccaro,
who died on July 20th in 1609. Interestingly, during his own life time, Zuccaro was probably the most famous living artist throughout Europe, while today he is often considered to be a minor player.
This is his Pan and Cupid,
which was painted around 1600. Before you sigh and think 'just another old painting', think about what the painting is (or could be) telling us. Though they are the subject of the work, it can take a moment to even find Cupid and Pan, but then we see that, while they are they are actually a bit smaller than the other figures, they are placed in a fairly empty space. Around them we see a number of people, some in the dress of Zuccaro's day, others more un-
than dressed, and in the river in the background some nude bathers cavort.
This is clearly a reference to the rather earthy Pan, known as the God of the wild,
whether that is landscapes, woods, animals, shepherds, and anything earthy and rustic. He was known as a kind of nasty joker, who would accost travelers and cause them great fear. In fact, the word Panic
comes from his name. Pan had the lower body of a goat, and, in accordance with his companions the satyrs and earthy aspects, was often associated with sexuality - as a lustful, purely physical act.
And then we have Cupid, also called Amor, or Eros, representing both the aspect of Love vs. raw sexuality, and the aspect of the 'civilization' of the Greek Gods vs. the rustic, primitive and urge-driven pagan spirit Pan. The Getty, where the painting is today, even sees a triumph of the supernatural (religion) over the pagan and primitive beliefs.
Just please don't ask me what the flying figure with the horn is, I have no idea.
Enjoy your Sunday and tread lightly
Image from wikimedia here: http://goo.gl/C2Oc4W #art #treadlightly #artandclassontheplus #EuropeanHistory #europeanpainting #yourdailyartstory #arthistory