Soulscape 30, Pygmalion and Galatea by Gérôme
The Many Ways Art Transforms Us
Jean-Léon Gérôme, Pygmalion and Galatea, c. 1890. Double quote. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. WC.
Art Sparks Transformation
We see that Gérôme's painting Pygmalion is set inside a sculptor's studio. At first glance, it depicts a model and the sculptor passionately kissing. Then we notice that her calves and feet are in grayscale, while the rest of her takes on the look of flesh and blood. She is clearly a sculpture coming to life. The sculptor rises up to meet her; we can see he is standing on his toes to do so, while she is on a pedestal.
There’s a visual play on the concept of transformation, from inanimate to life. One of the key elements of being an artist is the goal of bringing vitality and a feeling of life to an art project. Art, at its best, evokes a feeling of movement, life, color, and vibration. Gérôme captures this beautifully, showing her transformation from cold marble to a fully realized young woman.
One of the interesting techniques in figurative art is creating a grayscale underpainting. This technique, called grisaille (or "dead color" underpainting), involves applying cold, lifeless, cool tones to solve tonal and detail problems. Once the underpainting is complete, the next stage involves painting overlays of color.
When I was 17, on my first day at art school, the professor told the class that "art was like making love." This idea is conveyed quite literally in Gérôme’s painting. He explained that the act of painting has important qualities of making love: sensuality, intimacy, the life-giving force, connection, and sensory overload.
This painting is the ultimate representation of transformation: an inanimate sculpture coming to life. As viewers, we can take away a profound message. It invites us to embrace idealism fully, but also to imbue it with the vibrancy of life, energy, and passion. Using love as a catalyst, we are inspired by the things we care deeply about. This combination of idealism and the technical ability to bring it to life—making it real while being motivated by love—is one of the highest achievements we are capable of, both in art and on a personal level.
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