Blog Post #4

“Blind” interpretation (as in viewing an artwork on its own before researching it, or reading the label) is my preferred method of experiencing art. I selected this piece at random after searching with the key phrase “symbolist movement”. I knew that the Symbolists operated with in that timeframe and I was sure there would be a juicy piece that would be ripe for interpretation. I did my best to ignore the information attached to the image, which was difficult but successful.

This appears to be a fantastical, pastoral landscape populated by a female figure in repose and a peeking giant with one eye. The painting style is definitely influenced by the Impressionists, the hazy abstraction and the use of light are distinctive. The foreground is more luminous and the woman is nude which brings to mind innocence and purity. The giant is peaking over the trees in the mid-ground with a mischievous look on his face. He appears young and potentially innocent as well. The background is blue sky and fluffy clouds. It appears to be a nice day for a frolic, whether you are a Cyclops or a maiden.

My eye is drawn to the nude in the foreground initially. I can’t recall any specific mythology or allegory which refers to this scene, so I’m not sure who the woman might be. She is isolated and in repose, clearly the object of some adoration. A Cyclops is a creature of myth, a giant with one eye, typically fierce and adversarial. They both appear young and maybe naïve, which leads me to believe there is something in that relationship. Perhaps unrequited love, the admirer being an outsider, as would a Cyclops. A guess would be a young admirer stealing a glance at a woman that was unavailable or out of his league. He places her in a beautiful yet private environment and personifies himself as a sneaky Cyclops.

Post-research I find that this painting is “The Cyclops” by Odilon Redon. Redon transformed the myth of Galatea and Polyphemus into something playful rather than menacing. Redon was not widely accepted in the artistic community at the time, and possibly identified with the Cyclops in being an outside observer. Since he is described as "an artist who painted his personal reality", I think that would be a logical deduction. His loving treatment of the subject matter is indicative of the fondness and empathy with the scene. 

It was interesting to see how the "blind" interpretation and the post-research analysis correlated. I enjoyed this painting very much.