The Origin of the Milky Way
Jacopo Tintoretto·1575
Historical Context
Tintoretto's Origin of the Milky Way at the National Gallery, London, depicts the myth of how the Milky Way was formed when Juno's milk spurted across the sky as she pulled away from the infant Hercules that Jupiter had placed at her breast. The subject — the cosmological origin myth of the galaxy — gave Tintoretto an opportunity for the combination of mythological sensuality and cosmic scale that characterized his mythological paintings. The work, produced for the Gonzaga court, demonstrates his ability to handle mythological subjects with the same dramatic energy he brought to religious painting, the goddess's figure rendered with Michelangelesque power.
Technical Analysis
The dynamic diagonal composition of the airborne figures creates extraordinary spatial energy, with the luminous flesh of Juno and the shower of milk rendered in Tintoretto's characteristically fluid, expressive brushwork.
Look Closer
- ◆Notice the dynamic diagonal composition of airborne figures — Juno pulling away from the infant Hercules while milk sprays toward the sky.
- ◆Look at the luminous flesh of Juno rendered with Tintoretto's fluid, expressive brushwork against the dark sky.
- ◆Observe the milk becoming the Milky Way — Tintoretto makes the cosmological origin myth visually literal.
- ◆The Michelangelesque power of the flying figures demonstrates Tintoretto's synthesis of central Italian sculpture and Venetian color.
- ◆Find the infant Hercules reaching upward — his gesture triggers the cosmic event that creates the galaxy.
