Mammon. George Frederic Watts, 1884, Tate Collection, London. “Watts, in common with such social com
Mammon. George Frederic Watts, 1884, Tate Collection, London. “Watts, in common with such social commentators as William Morris, Ruskin and Carlyle, began to question the benefits and purpose of modern industry and commerce and their dehumanising effects. In 1880 he wrote, ‘Material prosperity has become our real god, but we are surprised to find that the worship of this visible deity does not make us happy.’ (G.F. Watts, 'The Present Conditions of Art’). Four years later he decided to personify this so-called deity - the evil 'Mammon’ - in paint.The picture is nearly life-size and the seated figure against a curtained backdrop calls to mind the portraits of Titian. However, instead of an established figure or celebrated beauty, Watts depicts an object of revulsion, seated on a throne decorated with skulls. Just behind the curtained background we are offered a glimpse, not of a peaceful landscape, but of fire and destruction. The picture is painted in a rich, almost hellish palette of red, gold and black. Watts visualises Mammon as a brutish despot, an ugly, lumpen figure seated on his throne, nursing his moneybags on his lap. The ogre brushes aside a beautiful girl with one hand, and crushes a young man under foot. Both are symbols of youth, innocence and beauty; yet, naked and vulnerable, they are also lifeless and inert. Mammon sits in glory with his 'gorgeous but ill-fitting golden draperies, which fall awkwardly about his coarse limbs'” -- source link
#symbolism#mammon#greed#industry#capital#19th century#tate gallery