Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

In "Castilian" by Elinor Wylie, the speaker reflects on the life and frustrations of the Spanish painter Diego Velázquez, known for his remarkable portraits and his depiction of the Spanish court. The poem captures a moment of discontent in Velázquez's creative process, where he expresses his dissatisfaction with the subjects he has been painting—royalty, "painted hags," and "bad ambiguous dwarfs." Through vivid imagery and a focus on Velázquez's actions, the poem examines the artist’s struggle for authenticity and his desire to break free from the constraints of royal portraiture. Wylie contrasts Velázquez’s personal frustration with the transformative act of creation, symbolized through the colors, textures, and the appearance of a mysterious "gentleman" who stands in stark contrast to the king and queen.

The poem opens with a depiction of Velázquez cleaning his palette, symbolizing a moment of renewal or clearing of his artistic space. The reference to the "pliant knife" suggests the flexibility of his craft, and the act of scraping the palette clean may signify his wish to start afresh, free from the previous constraints. He expresses his dissatisfaction with his work, especially the royal portraits, referring to his life as one spent "painting a king and queen," a task that, though prestigious, feels monotonous and limiting to him. The mention of a "dog's own life" conveys a sense of servitude or subjugation to the royal family, hinting at the tension between artistic freedom and royal expectations.

As the poem continues, Velázquez's frustration is further explored: "I am sick of painting painted hags / And bad ambiguous dwarfs." These lines express his disillusionment with the subjects of his court paintings, who are perhaps viewed by the artist as less worthy or even demeaning to paint. The use of "painted hags" suggests that the women of the court, perhaps aging or overpainted, fail to inspire the artist, while the "bad ambiguous dwarfs" may refer to the court’s jesters or entertainers—figures often seen as comedic or grotesque rather than dignified.

In the next stanza, the image of Velázquez cleaning his palette with "oily rags / And oakum from Seville wharves" introduces a tactile, almost gritty realism to his work. The oakum from the wharves, typically associated with shipbuilding, evokes a sense of manual labor and the working class, contrasting with the luxury of the royal court. This image of cleaning and renewal is juxtaposed with his desire to move beyond the confines of his current work.

The line, "The sky is silver, the clouds are pearl," represents a change in Velázquez’s perspective—a vision of beauty in nature, beyond the royal portraits he has been painting. The landscape described here is serene, untouched by the complexities of the court, and provides a stark contrast to his frustrations. In the next lines, he declares, "I will not paint Maria's girl / For all the money in Spain," rejecting the potential subject of a royal portrait for reasons that remain personal, perhaps suggesting that he no longer finds fulfillment in painting what is expected of him. His rejection of this subject also underscores the artist's desire for autonomy in his craft.

The act of washing his face in "water cold" and his hands in "turpentine" serves as another metaphor for cleansing, both physically and creatively. The colors he then mixes, "like coins of gold / And colour like drops of wine," symbolize the richness and depth of his artistic vision, as though he is preparing for a new kind of work—one that holds more personal significance.

The poem then shifts focus to the figure of the "gentleman" Velázquez spies outside his window. This man, described as "Castilian, sombre-caped," is both an idealized and mysterious subject for Velázquez’s next painting. His "arrogant eyes" and "narrow hands / Miraculously shaped" suggest a person of dignity, mystery, and strength—an embodiment of the qualities Velázquez might find more worthy of his craft. The gentleman stands in stark contrast to the royal figures he has been painting, representing a potential shift toward a more authentic artistic vision, one that reflects the artist’s desire to capture the true essence of a subject rather than paint to the demands of the court.

"Castilian" is ultimately a poem about the artist’s internal struggle between duty and personal desire. Through the imagery of Velázquez’s frustration with the royal court and his quest for a more meaningful subject, Wylie explores the tension between artistic constraint and artistic freedom. The figure of the "gentleman" represents a break from the constraints of royal portraiture, embodying the shift toward capturing a subject that is more true to the artist’s own vision. Wylie’s careful attention to the details of Velázquez’s actions—cleaning his palette, mixing colors, and observing the Castilian figure—emphasizes the transformative power of the creative process, suggesting that the artist is at his best when he follows his own impulses rather than the expectations of others.

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