Narcissism in Art

Monday, May 16, 2011

The Fall of Grace

In a world where beauty reigns

Grace felt her life was plain

How difficult to live in shame

So she decided to find fame

She looked in the mirror and saw a girl

Who wasn’t worth so much as a pearl

She wanted to see the whole world

So chose to let herself unfurl

She went to the store to buy some makeup

For her appearance she could shakeup

Under Grace’s disguise their was a new demeanor

Someone whose actions were that of a preener

Yet, this vanity would be her demise

Her decisions to alter herself have been unwise

With beauty came fortune, and fortune brought love

She looked down at everyone as if from above

She spent all her time staring at a mirror

So much, in fact, no one would come near

Forsaken and alone, she was destroyed

Now, even her image could not bring her joy

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Narcissus by Caravaggio (1597)

Caravaggio’s “Narcissus,” painted in 1597 illustrates the Greek myth of Narcissus who falls in love with his own reflection in a pool of water. Caravaggio utilizes body positions to demonstrate Narcissus’s admiration for himself: he is leaning his body and tilting his head toward the pond in a loving manner almost as if he is trying to kiss the reflection. Additionally, his left hand seems to be in the water, which shows him trying to touch the image in the water in an attempt to get closer to his “love.” The way Narcissus looks at himself is as if he looks at a baby: a gentle loving glare.

Historically, toward the end of the 16^th century, Europe saw a change from a focus on the power of the Catholic Church to the emphasis on personal gain and independence from a religious stronghold. The shift to making decisions for oneself rather than living one’s life based off of what the church dictated may have contributed to more art pieces showing narcissistic behavior. This switch from giving all one’s life to the dedication of the Catholic Church to focusing little by little more on oneself was one of the humanistic ideals stressed during this time period (Duiker 351-2).Caravaggio’s depiction of Narcissus is a precursor to future pieces of work such as Picasso’s “Girl Before A Mirror” in 1932 Narcissism is a human condition that has been depicted in classical and modern art.

Duiker, William J. and Jackson J. Spielvogel. World History ed. 5th. United States: Thomas Wadsworth, 2007. 351-2.

Rokeby Venus

-also known as, Venus at her Mirror, or Venus and Cupid

By Diego Velasquez (1657-1651)

Rokeby Venus, otherwise known as Venus at her Mirror, was painted by Diego Velasquez between 1647 and 1651. In the painting, Velasquez depicts Venus sensuously as she lies comfortably nude while staring at her reflection in a mirror that her son Cupid (the God of physical love) is holding. The painting conveys sensuality not only through Venus’ nudity, but more importantly, the curve in her back, in her waist and the protrusion of her hips and bottom. Cupid’s head is tilted to the right which is a subconscious mannerism people use when they are admiring something. Cupid’s stance further reinforces the idea of admiration toward Venus. This head tilt is also seen in Caravaggio’s painting, “Narcissus.”

Historically, Europe experienced renaissance humanism: “an intellectual movement based on the study of the classics, the literary works of Greece and Rome” (Duiker 351). Naturalism was also a main ideal during the Renaissance era, it was the idea that a human can reach physical perfection similar to Rokeby Venus (Duiker 352). Velasquez was a leading artist during the Spanish Golden Age when Spain experienced a flourishing of art and literature. With human progress came more daring pieces of art. The Venus is the last female nude of Velasquez’s collection because nude paintings were not prevalent in Spanish art during the 17^th century. Perhaps the concept of narcissism in art started to change from a tendency in all human beings to a tendency found more apparently in women. This notion is supported by more modern pieces such as “Girl in the Mirror” by Picasso. While narcissism has been depicted throughout history, the depiction seems to focus more on women than men as history progresses.

Duiker, William J. and Jackson J. Spielvogel. World History ed. 5th. United States: Thomas Wadsworth, 2007. 351-2.

Girl Before a Mirror by Pablo Picasso (1932)

Girl Before a Mirror, painted by Pablo Picasso in 1932, depicts a women admiring her appearance in the reflection of a mirror. The women's elongated arm reaching to touch the image represents the vanity she has for herself because her arm looks as if she is embracing the image in the mirror. Picasso portrays her body as disproportionate and unbalanced. Because she is so involved with herself the disproportion of her body doesn’t seem to matter. When the woman stares at the reflection in the mirror the image she sees is only of herself and her “perfection”; she doesn’t see the environment around her. Picasso shows that people are blinded with their own egotism. The image the woman perceives is dark and melancholy, but the women actually think highly of herself because of her “blindness.” Her narcissistic manner prevails because she feels sorry for herself and strives for something better.

Historically, the world was faced with many during and post-World War I obstacles. Many countries were in the midst of rebuilding their governments and economies. During World War I, Russia faced The Russian Revolution where the struggle for power between the Tsar and the Bolsheviks erupted. The people of Russia on March 8, 1910 protested by shouting “Peace and Bread” throughout the streets (Duiker 698). They, like the Girl Before a Mirror, endeavored for a new life and reforms. Pablo Picasso demonstrates the strife for something better of the women through he's choice of colors. People during World War I felt the same as this woman: dissatisfied and longing for the past. Picasso shows the vanity of women, a theme common in previous art pieces, like Velazquez's painting Rokeby Venus. This shows that people throughout time have believed that women are now narcissistic.

Duiker, William J. and Jackson J. Spielvogel. World History ed. 5th. United States: Thomas Wadsworth, 2007. 698.

“The Soul Selects Her Own Society” (1862)

By Emily Dickinson

The Soul selects her own Society —

Then — shuts the Door —

To her divine Majority —

Present no more —

Unmoved — she notes the Chariots — pausing —

At her low Gate —

Unmoved — an Emperor be kneeling

Upon her Mat —

I've known her — from an ample nation —

Choose One —

Then — close the Valves of her attention —

Like Stone —

Emily Dickinson’s poem, “The Soul Selects Her Own Society,” written in 1862, illustrates narcissism describing a woman who is independent and has her own beliefs and ideas about how to conduct herself and her life. “The Soul selects her own Society” shows that the speaker doesn’t believe she is born into a group of people; she believes that one chooses the people with whom one relates. The word, “unmoved” is used repeatedly in the second verse, illustrating that the speaker is so involved with her own world that she doesn’t care or notice that the Emperor is kneeling before her and the reverence shown to her. Lastly, the phrase, “Like Stone” further strengthens the idea that she is cold to everyone because she cares only about herself.

Historically, America experienced expansion and the Manifest Destiny during the mid-19^th Century. America thought it was its right to expand its borders from coast to coast, while denying all right of the indigenous people (Murrin 406-14). Dickinson’s poem presents the sentiment of America during the time. America was focused only on itself and was not open to the opinions and actions of the world around it. Once again, the concept of Narcissism in the poem is still personified by a woman when she uses the pronoun “her,” similar to Rokeby Venus by Velasquez.

Murrin, John M. et al. Liberty, Equality, Power: A History of the American People. United States: Thomas Wadsworth, 2005. 406-14.

"You're So Vain" Carly Simon (1972)

You walked into the party like you were walking onto a yacht
Your hat strategically dipped below one eye
Your scarf it was apricot
You had one eye in the mirror as you watched yourself gavotte
And all the girls dreamed that they'd be your partner
They'd be your partner, and...

You're so vain, you probably think this song is about you
You're so vain, I'll bet you think this song is about you
Don't you? don't you?...

"You're So Vain" written and performed by Carly Simon in 1972, shows the cruel way people treat each other because of their vanity. "You had one eye in the mirror as you watched yourself gavotte" demonstrates how this man portrayed in the song is more concerned about the way he looks then the actual people around him. There is also another example of narcissism by the singer. She is narcissistic because she believes she is able to tell this man he is egotistical. She is bold enough to stand against him and call him out on his flaws. This takes the idea of narcissism seen in previous art works a step further. People now feel it is their right to be able to call someone else narcissistic.

This song was written after the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This act was passed by the United States Congress to help stop segregation and discrimination of African Americans. From this African Americans were able to speak out and not get punished by the government (Duiker 791). Throughout the 1960s, American women started a feminist movement. In 1963, Betty Friedan published The Feminine Mystique; Friedan demonstrated the issues middle-class American women had faced while expressing her views (Duiker 801). Similar to Carly Simon's song, people of this time were not afraid to call other out on their flaws, openly express their opinions and fight for their rights. People were concerned about their own wellbeing and their beliefs. The theme of the narcissism and vanity is shown through Carly Simon's song, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and The Feminine Mystique.

Duiker, William J. and Jackson J. Spielvogel. World History ed. 5^th. United States: Thomas Wadsworth, 2007. 791-801.

No matter what time period, people have always been obsessed with themselves. People feel a connection with others when they feel that others care about how they look, what they are doing, and how they feel. In the past, when forms of communication were more limited, artists and writers portrayed the human tendency of narcissism through paintings, sculptures, and literature. As art has progressed women have been portrayed as narcissistic. These pieces of art connect to the history of each time period: independence from the Catholic Church, naturalism and humanism during the Renaissance era, post-World War I obstacles, Manifest Destiny in the United States, and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and feminist movements of the 1960s. The worst part is often times, people are not aware they are being narcissistic.

As art and time has progressed the view of narcissism has evolved towards women. As seen in The Feminine Mystique, written by Betty Friedman in 1963, women have always been inferior to men (Duiker 801). Because of this setback women were viewed as more concerned with their outward appearance instead of their innate ability to influence society. Because of this there has been a change in the perspective of women as seen in Diego Velasquez' painting Rokeby Venus and Pablo Picasso's A Girl Before a Mirror. This objectification of women as being narcissistic is seen in "The Perception of Female Beauty in Art" by Carly. Contrary to today's perception that women's physical perfection is to be as thin as possible, during the Tang Dynasty in China women were supposed to be "plump and voluptuous" (Carly). The author shows that the interpretation of the ideal women has changed throughout time and varies with each culture similar to "Narcissism in Art."

Avery, the author of "Perceptions of Beauty" argues that the ideal conception of a beautiful person has evolved throughout time similar to the "The Perception of Female Beauty in Art" by Carly Olszewski. In Queen Marie Antoinette by Adolf Ulrich Wertmuller, finished in the 1780s, the author demonstrates materialism of the royal family due to their lavish dress, hairstyle, and way of life. Now not only is body type, shape, and beauty viewed as narcissistic but materialistic items as well. Queen Marie Antoinette is dressed in a extravagant gown with elaborately coiffed hair. Even her children are dressed in decorative clothing. The author also argues that "the daughter [of Marie Antoinette] is looking toward the son for direction" showing the inferiority of women to men during the 18th Century (Avery). As seen, narcissism can be defined by the changes of the outlook of beauty.