“Love in its deepest form is an ever-transformative journey”

The ancient Greeks distinguished five types of love. This fact has served as a guiding thread throughout history. lecture that Noelia García Pérez , professor of Art History at the University of Murcia, has taught in the Francisco Calvo Serraller cycle , organized by the Friends of the Prado Museum Foundation and the School of Philosophy and Letters . The art historian has captivated with "stories that show how love has been a topic recurrent of artistic creation and source of fundamental inspiration for artists of all eras and all disciplines.”

As he explained, Philia is the love of friendship. speaker He has described it as an essential part of ethical life, which teaches us honesty, respect and commitment. He has mentioned Orestes and Pilates, Quixote and Sancho Panza, but also artists who portrayed their friends, such as Schiele and Klimt, or Picasso and Casagemas. “For an artist, depicting a friend in his works was an act that went beyond the representation of resemblance. It was a synthesis of emotions, memories, shared values, a heartfelt homage that allowed the artist to explore their relationship.” staff with the person represented, becoming a profound expression of affection, admiration, and loyalty.”

Storge , family love, has been a source of inexhaustible inspiration throughout the history of art, as the expert has recounted. There are many interpretations: speaker She has cited Ruth and Naomi, the prodigal son and his parents, Moses and his mother. But the expert has assured that "the image of the Virgin with the child is undoubtedly the one that has been most employee Inas is a work of art to represent maternal love, both with Christ as a child and suffering after the crucifixion. The historian has concluded that Storge is “a love that transcends suffering, that remains eternal, reflecting the infinite capacity of a mother to love even when everything seems to be lost.” To exemplify the universality of the image of the Pieta, she compares it to a work by photographer Mohamed Salim that was consecrated Image of the Year by World Press Photo. The author captured the image of Inas and the body of her niece who died on October 17, 2023 at the Nasser Hospital in Gaza.

Regarding Agape , he has described it as unconditional or universal love. “The sacrifice of Jesus on the cross is the supreme expression of this concept because it represents an absolute love, a love that gives without expecting, that suffers without taking revenge, that forgives unconditionally and that is submission “Even for those who do not deserve it.” Love as sacrifice can also be interpreted as the love of country that can be seen in works such as Rodin’s The Burghers of Calais . “This love transcends selfishness and is projected towards values such as justice, freedom and the well-being of all,” he explained.

The historian also recounted how Eros , the winged child, son of Venus, had two types of arrows in his quiver: some golden ones with sharp tips that provoked an intense and immediate love like that which Venus experienced for Adonis, and others made of lead and with a blunt tip that induced disdain, the most absolute rejection like that which occurred with Apollo and Daphne. Erotic love, like arrows, has a double nature. On the one hand, the specialist has presented magnificent examples of romantic love, such as the paintings of Chagall and Vela, or Rubens and Helena, Rosa Bonheur and Anna Klumpke. “But love is not always light. It can also be shadow,” she said. It can act as a dark mirror that reflects fears, obsessions, anxiety, leading them to explore the most tormented corners of their souls, such as the emotional devastation that accompanied the relationship between Picasso and Dora Maar, or the obsession with Alma Mahler that consumed Oskar Kokoschka.

After having explored love stories between artists that show as much beauty as tragedy, the historian has Closed the lecture with the story of Psyche , a princess whose beauty provokes the wrath of Venus, but after overcoming divine trials and proving her love for the god Eros, she is rewarded with immortality and marriage to him. “Psyche, whose name means soul, became the embodiment of the eternal union between soul and love, reminding us that true love is not just physical, but a journey of trials and growth.”

At the end of the lecture , the dean of the School of Philosophy and Letters from the University of Navarra, Julia Pavón , has Closed the cycle, expressing his gratitude to the speakers, sponsors, teachers, organizers and the public who attended throughout this edition. “We closed a door, but we are already putting the machinery in motion to continue with love for art next year.”