Dore's Andromeda

Passion. It’s why Romeo and Juliet took their lives, what inspired Petrarch to pen sonnets, and why Bogart tells Ingrid Bergman to get on the plane at the end ofCasablanca. That very same theme has also inspired Lágrimas de Eros (Tears of Eros) an art exhibition presented by Madrid’s Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza and Fundacion Caja.

The exhibit, which takes its name from Georges Bataille’s book Les larmes d’Eros, shows how passion has been a muse for artists throughout the centuries. Over 100 paintings, sculptures, photographs and videos date from the sixteenth-century to present day and focus largely on the dark consequences of passion.

The first part, housed in the Thyssen, illustrates the mortal dangers of passion. The Fundación Caja galleries host the second half of the exhibit. These artworks are all connected by their allusions to eroticised death. You can also experience a virtual visit of the exhibit.

The works are divided into galleries, each based on one of the great myths of Eros. This means the public encounter a dynamic atmosphere – the old masters are placed along the likes of Picasso, Warhol, and Magritte.

Yet, the differences in the paintings in their representations of passion are not downplayed, but rather highlighted. The variegated works illustrate the survival of the myths up to the present day. Originally depicted in their purest forms, the myths have morphed into an often sadistic representation in the later works.

Take for example the room themed “Andromeda Chained.” The story goes that Perseus comes to Andromeda’s rescue when she is chained to a rock and threatened by a sea monster. Rubens and Millais are featured in this gallery. They focus on accurately depicting the naked female body in distress, while still creating an aesthetically pleasing canvas. Similarly, Gustave Dore’s painting ‘Andromeda’, is a prime example of this approach.

'The Bleeding Roses' by Salvador Dali

The Surrealists and later artists, however, use a different style. Dalí, Domínguez, Penrose and Bellmer, step beyond the traditional analysis of the myth to surprise the viewer with unusual juxtapositions. They depict a deformation and sadistic manipulation of the female body, while still alluding to the myth, such as in Dali’s ‘The Bleeding Roses’.

Another interesting transformation is seen in the gallery themed “The Kiss”. Morphing from an innocent and mutual expression of passion in the earlier pieces, the Surrealists adopt a fresh interpretation. Max Ernst’s ‘The Kiss’ represents lovers kissing and entwining into one. Yet he goes a step further by suggesting one mate consuming the other, a theme which leaves the audience to decipher many interpretations.

Overall, the exhibit gives viewers many different visual definitions of passion. The works show the evolution of art as well as social values and thought.  Its real charm though, is seeing the centuries joined together by a common theme which keeps us all ticking. Passion.

Until January 31st 2010

www.museothyssen.org

www.fundacioncajamadrid.org