The Furies in the Prado Museum

Last week I went to the Prado Museum to see the new exhibition: The Furies, from Tiziano to Ribera. I decided to visit this exhibition in particular because I´ve always liked the Quattrocento and Cinquecento periods. What I like most about Renaissance painters is their particular use of light and shadows. The shadows stay back to give way to the bright figures that represent Gods and Goddesses of Ancient culture. I also like Renaissance painters because of their anatomical accuracy of the human body. Since the Renaissance was a throwback to ancient Greek and Roman culture, these paintings depict scenes of the ancient myths. In the case of the furies, they depict punishments.

"Tytius" by Tiziano

The Furies were a work patronised by Mary of Hungary to the painter Tiziano. These works were to be displayed in the halls of Binche Castle in Belgium. The paintings had to depict ancient Greek characters such as: Tytius, Tantalus and Ixion.

Let's take Tytius as an example. The first thing that calls the viewer’s attention is the beam of light that illuminates his face and shows his expression. The sorrow and pain were faithfully depicted; used by the painter as a warning for anyone who came across these works of art. In fact, they were meant to warn people. Mary of Hungary wanted these paintings to be displayed in her castle in order to warn the citizens about what would happen to them if they rose up against the crown. Also, his position reveals the fight against the vulture and the struggle to avoid its pecks.

The colours, wisely chosen by the painter, provide a faithful and realistic portrait of a human being. Just take a look at his hair, his hands and the chains that prevent him from escaping. This painting conveys the idea of suffering and punishment, and how difficult is it to escape the fate.

As the story goes, Zeus punished Tytius for trying to rape one of his lovers. That punishment consisted of being chained to a rock were an eagle would peck his liver. This story reminds the viewer of Prometheus, who was also punished in the same way, for giving the secret of fire to mortals. An eagle would peck his liver every day, and its hideous task would never end because, unfortunately, his liver would grow again every night.

Written by María Tarazaga, translator and interpreter.