The Sorrow of Telemachus
This painting is the second part of a pendant set created by the Swiss artist Angelica Kauffman in 1783.
The scene portrays an awkward moment derived from Greek mythology. Telemachus (the youth in gold) is traveling in search of his father, Odysseus, who has been missing for some twenty years*. Attempting to comfort Telemachus is his father’s (very) old friend, Mentor. The reason that Telemachus is suddenly seized with melancholy is that the nymphs** clutching instruments on the left have just been singing about how swell Odysseus is and this, not surprisingly, is upsetting to Telemachus who contemplates the likelihood of his father having died. Calypso, the maternal figure in white, is whipping around to silence her nymphs.
There are a couple more figures in the painting, both engaged in providing hospitality for their guests. One is bringing out food and the other is filling a foot-bath. Both seem to be busy powering through the awkwardness of the moment. You’ve been there. You know what that’s all about: Maybe if I pretend it’s not really uncomfortable, it’ll just go away and we can all stop dying inside.
The Telemachus Pendant by Kauffman belongs to a broad genre of painting known as History Painting. This did not imply, as one might assume, that Kauffman thought that Calypso and Telemachus were really historic characters***. Rather, the genre derives its name from the broader etymological understanding of “history” meaning “narrative”.
Kauffman viewed history painting as her true passion. She even moved from England to Rome because, while the English preferred her portraits, the Italians more readily showed appreciation for her history scenes****. While in Italy she married her second husband***** who has been immortalized in an excellent portrait that she did of him******.
*Although Telemachus technically means “far from battle”, his character seems more perfectly described as “optimistic beyond reason”.
**Greek minor deities generally viewed as being embodiments of nature and sexy as hell.
***I mean, maybe she did, but that would be her own personal thing.
****Hot take: The English knew what they were on about. Her portraits were simply much better.
*****We’ll do her a kindness and abstain from discussion of her first husband. We were all a little foolish in our mid-20s.
******Which… this is what I’m talking about. One minute she’s painting this portrait that’s absolutely charming and then you turn around and find her excitedly producing Scene with Miranda and Ferdinand. But what of it? The heart wants what it wants.