Hanging By A Thread.

Las Hilanderas, c. 1667, Oil on Canvas, Museo del Prado, Diego Velazquez

  One of the most well known and frequently depicted myths in Ovid's Metamorphoses is the story of Arachne. While the specific details of this tale are not necessarily applicable to today's society, the underlying story has been told and retold, time and time again. A young person who is proficient and prideful in their work gets the idea that they can outdo the master in their craft. After much boasting, they end up challenging the master despite the admonishing of friends and elders. After a challenge ensues, the prideful youth receives a lesson in humility in some form or another at the hand of the master. 

  As an Art History Major, I really appreciate accurate depictions of myths, and (as seen in the above photo) Diego Velazquez goes above and beyond simple story telling. Through the different layers and scenes in this painting, Velazquez seems to communicate the moral as well as the fable.  In the painting, there are two distinctive rooms, one in the foreground and one in the back. The room in the foreground is dim and cluttered with young and old women staying busy with their spinning and weaving. The women are painted in such a way that the viewer can almost feel the immediacy of the room and see the dignity in hard work. Despite this room being at the front of the painting, the real action takes place in the back. Up a couple steps, the viewer sees a room that is bathed in a bright light that creates a divine quality. Athena can be identified on the left hand side by the silver helmet on her head as she peers onto Arachne's tapestry. Arachne can be seen in the center with her arms open wide, pridefully presenting her depiction of The Rape of Europa. Velazquez borrowed the image that Arachne spun from a painting by Titian to show his veneration for the Venetian master. Obviously, Diego did not want to commit the same folly as Arachne. 

   It does not take a detective to see that this tale is one about the dangers of pride. After Arachne challenged Pallas to a spinning contest and loses, Pallas strikes her down and Arachne hangs herself to save her pride instead of admitting defeat. Oddly, the god shows mercy and saves Arachne by turning her into a spider (which is why spiders weave webs).  This myth elegantly illustrates the dangers of boastful pride and how it can lead to downfall or a forced change. In Ovid's version, Pallas Athena disguises herself as an elderly woman in order to talk to Arachne and present her with the opportunity to repent saying, "Wisdom arrives with years- take my advice, accept your reputation among mortals...but give your goddess grace for your gifts and ask her to forgive the thoughtless speeches of a foolish daughter; You'll be forgiven if you say your prayers". Obviously, this warning fell onto deaf ears and Arachne issued her challenge and Pallas accepted, and subsequently won. 

Behind the facade of our big egos we constantly do hide
And pride of five letters is only that just pride
And some will even tell you pride comes before a fall
From life we have been learning from before we learned to crawl,
The thing we refer to as pride not easily understood
A little pride is necessary but too much pride not good
Pride can lead to big egos and snobbish self conceit
A truly humble person is one you don't often meet
The self opinionated and self conceited never known to be rare
Those who promote their egos in the bigger World out there
From the seeds of a big ego success is often grown
A humble quiet achiever is one I have not known
A little pride is necessary and self esteem okay
But too much pride can lead to arrogance and that seems sad to say. 

- Francis Duggan

The Rape of Europa, 1562, Oil on Canvas, Titian