DOGS ALWAYS GIVE AWAY THE EXTRA MARITAL AFFAIRS…LOOK AT THE PAINTING CLOSELY…ITS FUNNY ..MORE THAN WHAT MEETS THE EYE AT A PASSING GLANCE
I first heard of Tintoretto- painter of Renaissance (born 1518 in Venice) from Satyajit Ray’s thriller story Tintorettor Jishu (“Jesus painting by Tintoretto”- a film was later made by his son Sandip Ray). Later, as I looked into some of the Classical paintings I found Tintoretto stands apart for reason which is, indeed, well, should I say,.. ‘interesting’
Usually whenever we think of Classical paintings, especially of the Renaissance period we never consider them to be funny. We consider them to be extremely elegant, emphatic, exquisite and often elitist. But look at this painting carefully. This is, perhaps, one of the most funny paintings- despite all its other Classical qualities- of the Renaissance period.
This painting is known/ titled as Tintoretto’s –Venus, Mars, and Vulcan.
Now, we know who Venus- also known as Aphrodite in Greek- is. We also know who is Mars, the Helmeted God of War, and a hero (from his name we got Martial).
And, Vulcan is Venus’ husband.
One of Vulcan’s legs was broken when his mother Juno found him ‘ugly’ and threw him into the sea. Later Vulcan grew as the Gods’ main blacksmith and artisan of great knowledge, sort of our own Viswakarma. (His father was Jupiter)
And Venus, in our present moral standard, was certainly not very dignified. Her immoral or in clear terms ‘extra marital” acts were vividly depicted in many paintings. One of her paramours was Mars who used to visit her, sleep with her and would vanish before her husband –the great angry hammer-man Vulcan arrived.
Here look at the painting closely. Vulcan arrived, he was suspecting his wife was having an affair with Mars. He was searching for Mars and even pulled up the bedcover (you may see the quilt). And where was mighty Mars?
Lo !! the great God of War was hiding under the table, in fact trying to crawl out and escape. (Very unbecoming of a Hero and a warrior God. But the problem was the DOG…
Vulcan’s Dog was barking at him and well, giving away Mar’s presence in an unheroic place. Look at the Cupid. He seemed like enjoying the scene ( though as mischievous as he is he kept his eyes closed, after all he was the character who played the key in extra marital love-affair)..This is an extremely comic scene but common in all ages. Suspecting husband appearing all of a sudden and the paramour , half naked, hiding behind the door or cot or refrigerator.
(You may see the other painting with humour by no other than Botticelli ( just Google image Venus+Mars+Botticelli) ..you will see how Mars is sleeping after his affair with Venus ..and four baby satyrs fleeing with his spear )…
* Some points I would like to mention .
* Venus was painted by many —–Titian, Natoire, Botticelli et al. Venus is identified with the presence of among others, Cupid (there were often two Cupids- angel babies- Eros and his brother Anteros) and three companions- Aglaia, Euphrosyne, and Thalia.
*Titian also painted Venus with dog and in the painting the dog he depicted appeared as the worst of watch dogs. The Dog was found blissfully sleeping when the sky fell and chaos all around. Titian was Tintoretto’s teacher. In fact, somewhere I had read that Tintoretto painted this classic arrival of Vulcan with his watchful dog to mock the Titian’s sleeping dog only. And also Vulcan was given beard as Titian also sported beard. Second painting is of Titian.
*Tintoretto’s original name was Jacopo Comin..or Jacopo Rubusti… He was a very witty and a man of pleasnt personality but he was never seen smiling. He was called Tintorertti becausehe was son of a dyer…Tintore.
*From Vulcan’s name we got the name Volcano.
* To understand as to how much detailed and careful were the old masters, look at the left leg of Vulcan , and you immediately know he had a problem with the leg… also just look at the glass pot by the window.
BY THE B**LS
..And you thought those WWF characters are funny… This one is Hercules and Diomedes in Italy’s Florence Town hall named — Hall of the Five Hundred…located in the Palazzo Vecchio……The sculptor was Vincenzo dei Rossi, a follower of Michelangelo…This was created in 16th century…(1560 ??)….and, well, it makes one more time clear that those Renaissance great minds and geniuses were not bereft of humor and wits… often very sarcastic and , like this one below belt hitting.
( If you have a relook at my previous post — Tintoretto’s painting..Vulcan storming into his wife Venus’ bed room and throwing away the ‘bed cover’ in an angry attempt to catch War God Mars. Mars was on his adulterous liaison….with Venus…and the blacksmith Vulcan was damn angry ….that sent all powerful Mars hiding beneath the cot…)
Interesting to note that here Diomedes was a King and when in wrestling with Hercules he tries to save him from being thrown out ( ..dead and to his own man-eating horses?) by taking mighty Hercules… by the b*lls…It was , by the way, Hercules’ 8th labor…
( Of course, we got the expression Cleaning the Augean Stable from Hercules’ 5th labor I am, however, not sure whether we got the slang… by the b*lls,…. from here only or not…it sounds quite likely, though.