The Origin of the Milky Way by Tintoretto, one of four works inspired by the myth of Hercules, shows the god Jupiter bringing his son Heracles, born of a mortal woman, to milk from his wife, the goddess Juno.
The Significance The Origin of the Milky Way
The artist paints a scene of frantic activity showing the moment Juno awakens to learn of Jupiter’s duplicity in a composition that foreshadows the drama of Baroque painting. According to tradition, the goddess would milk the baby Heracles, giving him immortality.
But as Juno awakens, she pulls away in rage, causing her milk to shoot across the sky, generating the Milky Way, which is represented by a constellation of stars. Beautiful lilies are created when milk from her other breast falls toward Earth; these flowers are said to have been part of the planet’s primordial composition (later trimmed down). Numerous cupids holding drawn bows beneath the eternal pair represent marital conflict and its effects on all of humanity.
The piece demonstrates Tintoretto’s aptitude as a colorist and draughtsman. The foreshortened Jupiter is evocative of Giotto’s ground-breaking frescos in the Arena Chapel, and the muscular Juno shows Michelangelo’s influence, but Tintoretto alone is responsible for the rhythmic arrangement of the figures.
Tintoretto’s early exposure to pigments at his father’s workshop as a fabric dyer as a boy is related to his skillful use of color in both the people and clothing. An intentionally varied color scheme is used to create the composition, ranging from white and gold to orange, pink, and crimson in the drapes and from a deep blue to a grey in the sky.
Other Tintoretto’s paintings
Though he is most known for his religious paintings, Tintoretto produced other mythical works throughout the course of his lengthy career, including The Origin of the Milky Way. The fact that Rudolf II, the Holy Roman Emperor and King of Hungary, commissioned this specific series of works of art shows how well-liked the revolutionary artist is outside of Italy.
The inspiration behind the creation of this painting is a mystery. Some academics argue that Tommaso Rangone, the “grand guardian” of the Scuola Grande di San Marco, who had commissioned other significant works from the artist, such as Finding the Body of Saint Mark (1562), had ordered it to be painted at first. The artist rearranged this artwork for the Emperor after Rangone passed away.
