Saturn

Mary Gordon’s speech tonight was intellectual and thought provoking. However the moment that most captured my mind was when she presented the picture of ‘Saturn’ by Francisco Goya. Never before had I seen a painting that captured an image of pure savage like behavior. In the painting the god Saturn is seen with wild eyes and an open mouth as he takes a bite out of a human body. The head of the body is already removed along with one of the person’s arms, as if Saturn had been devouring him for a while. Saturn appears almost illuminated as his body is contrasted against a dark background; his face looks as if he was caught in an act.

During the question and answer time after Gordon’s speech a Saint Mary’s student explained that while in Spain her class studied the painting in detail. While discussing the artwork her teacher proclaimed that the partially eaten body was supposed to represent Saturn’s son. He lived in a time of war and it was said that Saturn was afraid that his children would soon overtake his power, so upon their birth he ate them one by one. While Gordon respond to this information she made a good point. She pointed out that the body was not one of a child, but instead a fully matured person. She said that the painting represented the rage that Saturn and Goya both holstered at that time in their lives. Regardless of what the true meaning behind the painting was, it’s still an attention-grabbing image that leaves the viewer with a feeling of slight revulsion.