Comment on Cheeto devouring his nation
vala@lemmy.world 4 days agoImo in this original painting Saturn is horrified either to be doing this at all, or to be seen doing it.
So I don’t think the poetry transfers to trump here.
I know this is shit posts but we’re also discussing high art so…
samus12345@sh.itjust.works 4 days ago
It’s hard to say for sure. I always interpreted his expression as maniacal rather than horrified.
Liz@midwest.social 4 days ago
He certainly wasn’t horrified about doing it in the original myth, as far as I remember.
vala@lemmy.world 3 days ago
Yeah, I’ve always seen Goya’s version (if this is even Saturn at all) to be an inversion or some kind of commentary on the original theme. There are a few famous paintings of this scene from before Goya’s time.
If anything it feels to me that Saturn was in the darkness doing this act but now there is a bright and sudden light being shown on him and he is shocked or ashamed. Almost like he has possibly “snapped out” of the state he was just in and is now maybe seeing what he has done for the first time himself.
samus12345@sh.itjust.works 4 days ago
Considering he ate FIVE of his children, I don’t think he was.
vala@lemmy.world 3 days ago
Yeah I’ve heard few different intersting takes. I think most people agree the expression is mechanical like you said.
This is just my impression. It’s the lighting more than anything that makes me feel this way. The painting seems to be illuminating the devourer in a way that suggests he might be seeing his own act for the first time himself.
Liz@midwest.social 3 days ago
Hey! You come back here with that irrelevant commentary!
vala@lemmy.world 3 days ago
Yeah I’ve heard few different intersting takes. I think most people agree the expression is mechanical like you said.
This is just my impression. It’s the lighting more than anything that makes me feel this way. The painting seems to be illuminating the devourer in a way that suggests he might be seeing his own act for the first time himself.