Lucero Vol. 4, 1993

Sandro Boticelli. The Birth of Venus. Uffizi Gallery, Florence. Photography by Eric Lessing. Magnum Photos, 1991.

16 “En la concha de Venus amarrado”: The Female Body in Garcilaso de la Vega’s “Ode ad florem Gnidi” Regina West, University of California at Berkeley

During the Renaissance the female body (1503-1536), though, made this connec­ gained prominence as a metaphor to exam­ tion in the 16th century, a time when beauty ine the conditions of artistic inspiration and was a near fatal glimpse of the divine, and production. Through this development, art suffering was the appointed task of those was given another dimension with which to who did not hide their face from it. In his consider the idea of beauty. Along with “Canción V,” “Ode ad florem Gnidi,” aesthetic factors, moral reproach or appro­ Garcilaso enters a vocabulary already pre­ bation were thus factored into artistic judg­ pared in the visual arts, and achieves a re­ ments. The excess of ornamentation in examination of beauty by taking on two painting, for example, found expression in roles not readily associated with romantic the seducing make-up of the “working poets:1 The first is that of the chronicler, girls” of the period, thus appropriating the recording the emotional decay of his friend female body into an already existing pictoric rather than his own personal inner turmoil. vocabulary. Using this language inscribed Garcilaso writes the poem to doña Violante on the body of the female subject, line and Sanseverino on behalf of Mario Galeota, a color were transformed into moral sigmfiers. man who is desperately struggling for the Jacqueline Lichtenstein describes this use of lady’s attention. The second role is that of the woman in the production of art, the prophet, warning of the consequences that will arise if his words are not heeded. Just as the magical attractions of Garcilaso de la Vega’s “Ode ad florem coloring were found to be similar Gnidi” seems to borrow images from the to the charms of feminine seduc­ celebrated Sandro Botticelli (1445-1510) tion, they also became the focus painting The Birth of Venus. Careful consid­ for the same moral reprobation. eration of this painting reveals at least three Ifa picture’s embellishments could parallels: shared thematic concerns, the re­ be seen as “makeup,” the paint­ lationship between spectator and artistic ing becomes a woman, and one model, and the unreturned gaze of the of the most dangerous sort: ille­ Venus figure. gitimate, like the pleasure for The Birth of Venus presents a scene (see which she serves as a metaphor. painting on page 16) in which a huge conch, (80) riding the waves of the sea, transports the pagan goddess to Cythera’s shore, an island Beauty and sexuality (perhaps, danger that appears at the right hand of the painting. and morality) are now a commonplace asso­ The internal perspective of the work con­ ciation, standard fare in contemporary cul­ sists of four characters. On the right, Spring tural productions. Garcilaso de la Vega receives Venus, offering her a cloak, on

17 Lucero Vol. 4, 1993 which there appear three flowers connected to transform the nude Venus into a figure in the shape of a triangle. On the left, in a suitable for aesthetic contemplation. This storm of roses, the intertwined Chloris and formulation, however, ignores a more sen­ Zephyr float in the air. As Edgar Wing sual, and shocking, perspective. The point notes, “The goddess’s own posture, that of of focus that commands the central position the classical Venus púdica, expresses the dual of the work is not the complete image of nature of love, both sensuous and chaste, of Venus: it is the female organ that the god­ which her attendants represent the separate dess’ hair and hand partially cover (or re­ aspects” (131). One notes, in addition, the veal). Transformed into the object of the fluidity of the water that, stirred by the gaze, Venus does not respond to her spec­ breath of Zephyr, has sent Venus to Earth. tator: she looks away to an unknown place, The first strophe of Garcilaso de la Vega’s almost beyond the spectator, a place where “Canción V” presents an almost identical no one can reach or return her gaze. scene: By presenting beauty as the producer of 1. sexual desire rather than a reflection of Si de mi baja lira divine goodness, Garcilaso de la Vega con­ tanto pudiese el son que en un momento templates the female subject in terms of the aplacase la ira reaction that her body produces on the del animoso viento spectator, doña Violante’s body functions as y la furia del mar y el movimiento, a model of artistic reception and thus delineates the poetic subject: Instead of only exalting Like a subj ect within the painting looking at the woman’s beauty, the poet focuses on the the goddess and preparing her arrival, power or the effect of this beauty. In doing Garcilaso focuses on the turbulent environs so, Garcilaso maintains an aesthetic dis­ from which his earthly deity will emerge tance, appointing himself as an observer of Traditional criticism of Botticelli’s work the effects of sexual desire. Garcilaso writes has both focused on the central placement that even if he had the chance to write an of the figure of Venus and emphasized the epic poem, he would not do it, for he has transcendence of her beauty. Michael Levey dedicated himself to the fuerza of doña reflects this point of view, writing: Violante Sanseverino’s beauty. In the first line, he mentions his humble lyre, but ends The artistic convention of with a rejection of this supposed humility in Botticelli’s picture is reinforced strophes three through five: by the likelihood that it has ethi­ cal and moral significance; it was 3. probably painted not just as a no pienses que cantado large-scale decorative canvas but seria de mí, hermosa flor de Gnido, as a didactic one. A beautiful el fiero Marte airado, ruling deity remains its theme a muerte convertido, and the centre of its composition. de polvo y sangre y de sudor teñido, (6) 4. This ideal of wholeness that Levey finds ni aquellos capitanes in the composition of the work would seem en las sublimes ruedas colocados,

18 “En la concha de Venus amarrado”

por quien los alemanes, que ‘stá muriendo vivo, el fiero cuello atados, al remo condenado, y los franceses van domesticados; en la concha de Venus amarrado.

5. 8. mas solamente aquella Por ti, como solía, fuerza de tu beldad seria cantada, del áspero caballo no corrige y alguna vez con ella la furia y gallardía, también seria notada ni con freno la rige, el aspereza de que estás armada, ni con vivas espuelas ya l’aflige;

Even with the title “Ode ad florem 9. Gnidi,” Garcilaso de la Vega reveals the por ti con diestra mano point of transformation of the female sub­ no revuelve la espada presurosa, ject to an artistic model. The title “Oda a la y en el dudoso llano flor de Gnido” refers to both the Napolitan huye la polvorosa village in which Violante lived, Nido, and to palestra como sierpe ponzoñosa; Cnidos (from Cos), the village of Antiquity which had a temple and statue dedicated to Playing on Mario Galeota’s last name, Venus. On one hand, the poem is dedicated Garcilaso transforms his friend into a type of to doña Violante Sanseverino and deals with slave or galeote (literally, galley slave) visually an exhortation that Garcilaso writes on tied to the lady’s conch. According to behalf of his friend Mario Galeota, who had Garcilaso, doña Violante is responsible for tried to court the protagonist without suc­ Galeota’s pathetic state, for she intentionally cess. On the other hand, Violante’s om­ does not return his glances. Ever since nipotent beauty converts her into a statue­ Galeota fantasized about the powerful sexual like Venus figure, one that, like Botticelli’s image of his beloved, he has apparently lost Venus, avoids the gaze of her male specta­ all reason. Witnessing this, Garcilaso blames tor. the female subject for not responding to his Though Garcilaso’s poem would seem to friend’s amorous advances, and thus stealing deify and centralize doña Violante, the fo­ from him all desire for achievement in cus, has more to do with the effect that her conquest and war. beauty produces. Just as the spectator’s at­ The narrator further warns “la flor de tention is called to the female organ of Gnido” that the brilliance of her beauty can Botticelli’s Venus, Galeota can not stop his not be separated from the extreme reactions obsession for Violante’s conch. The conch of those who gaze upon her. Just as color (now the vagina) of the female subject and line construct a moral vocabulary for leaves him stupefied. Garcilaso describes the visual artist, her beauty bears with it an this condemnation to the conch from which ethical responsibility. In strophes 14 through his dear friend suffers: 20, Garcilaso reminds doña Violante of the case of Anaxarete, the mythological figure 7. whose deliriously infatuated and exasper­ Hablo d’aquel cativo ated pursuer eventually hung himself out­ de quien tener se debe más cuidado, side her door in a last attempt for her

19 Lucero Vol. 4, 1993 attention. When approaching her window hizo de sí la gente to contemplate his burial, the mythic no tan maravillada Anaxarete is transformed into a marble statue. cuanto de aquella ingratitud vengada. Much like an inversion of the mythological figure ofMedusa, Anaxarete is transformed Garcilaso likens doña Violante’s ingrati­ by the gaze of the deceased into an inani­ tude and rejection of his friend’s advances to mate object: Anaxarete’s indifference to her admirer. Should the artistic model look away and 14. avoid Galeota’s gaze set eternally upon her Hágate temerosa beauty, she runs the risk of being trans­ el caso de Anajárete, y cobarde, formed into the lifeless condition ofa statue. que de ser desdeñosa Ifshe were to be devalorized and challenged se arrepentió muy tarde, as a symbol of the celestial beauty of love, y así su alma con su mármol arde. doña Violante Sanseverino’s cruelty would be petrified by stone and ink, forcing her to 15. lose the aura of her cultic presence. In this Estábase alegrando event, Garcilaso warns that only the tragedy del mal ajeno el pecho empedernido of her coldness will be immortalized— cuando, abajo mirando, much like the words of the poem that freeze el cuerpo muerto vido her self-centered harshness. Ifshe continues del miserable amante allí tendido, to brush off Mario Galeota’s attempts, Garcilaso reminds her that the poem itself 16. will serve as the final act of vengeance: y al cuello el lazo atado con que desenlazó de la cadena 21. el corazón cuitado, No quieras tú, señora, y con su breve pena de Némésis airada las saetas compró la eterna punición ajena. probar, por Dios, agora; baste que tus perfetas 18. obras y hermosura a los poetas Los ojos s’enclavaron en el tendido cuerpo que allí vieron; 22. los huesos se tomaron den inmortal materia, más duros y crecieron sin que también en verso lamentable y en sí toda la carne convertieron; celebren la miseria d’algún caso notable 19. que por ti pase, triste, miserable. las entrañas heladas tomaron poco a poco en piedra dura; Garcilaso was obviously not some proto­ por las venas cuitadas typical male feminist. He used the position la sangre su figura of chronicler to divert the moral responsi­ iba desconociendo y su natura, bility of sexual desire away from his friend, and he used prophetic authority to compel 20. doña Violante into affirming his perspec­ hasta que finalmente, tive. Using a pictoric vocabulary prepared en duro mármol vuelta y transformada, by Botticelli, he internalizes the male gaze

20 “En la concha de Venus amarrado” and writes it onto the female subject, threat­ ening her with his power to transform her Works Cited into a silent, frozen object. Yet he was keenly aware of what few seem to remem­ Botticelli, Sandro. The Birth of Venus. Uffizi ber today, that to be “pretty as a picture” Gallery, Florence. Photograph by Eric usually means to be as silent as one too. By Lessing. Magnum Photos, 1991. focusing on the limited power a woman did Levey, Michael. Introduction. Sandro Botticelli. possess, Garcilaso warns of the dangers of Ed. Gabriele Mandel. New York: Harry N. this inanimate state and the insensibility of a Abrams, 1967. 5-7. subject that only exists to be gazed upon. Lichtenstein, Jacqueline. “Making Up Repre­ Recording the acrimony her beauty wreaks, sentation: The Risks of Femininity.” Rep­ and prophesying the dread consequences resentations 20 (Fall 1987): 77-87. for both viewer and viewed, Garcilaso de la Vega, Garcilaso de la. Poesías castellanas completas. Vega pleads for her to use her own eyes and, Ed. Elias L. Rivers. Madrid: Clásicos Castalia, unlike Botticelli’s Venus, realize that she 1989. should not wish to be elevated above love. *1 Wind, Edgar. Pagan Mysteries in the Renaissance. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1968. Note 1 In this paper, the termromantic poets refers to those authors whose subject is love—both amo­ rous and unrequited.

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