Lena Rivera
In F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, Nick Carraway compares West Egg to an El Greco painting. He describes a scene with a hundred houses, at once conventional and grotesque, crouching under a sullen, overhanging sky and a lustreless moon. This comparison is made towards the end of the novel, after Gatsby's death, and reflects Nick's view of the East. The El Greco painting is used to illustrate West Egg as a cold and fake place, full of fake people, and with a dark underbelly. The Mannerist style of El Greco's work, with its loose and elongated figures, also reflects the subjective portrayal of reality in The Great Gatsby, where the wealth and high-society lifestyle of the 1920s are undercut by corruption and decay.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Wealth and high society | The wealth and high-society lifestyle of the 1920s |
| Corruption and decay | Corruption and decay of morals |
| Subjective portrayal of reality | West Egg appears amazing at first sight, but a closer look reveals a darkness hanging over it |
| Mannerism | Rejection of realistic portrayals of reality for more subjective and free-spirited ones |
| Loose and elongated figures | El Greco's figures are tall and a little distorted |
| Free colours | Colours are not fixed, creating a group of loosely related events that together create a scene |
| False appearances | West Egg is full of "fake" people and false appearances |
| Impersonality | West Egg is a rich place, but it lacks heart and is very impersonal |
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What You'll Learn
El Greco's Mannerist style
El Greco, born in 1541 on the island of Crete, was a master of Spanish painting. His dramatic and expressionistic style puzzled his contemporaries but gained appreciation in the 20th century. El Greco's style has been described as Mannerist, a rebellion against the complex naturalism of the Renaissance. Mannerism is interested in style over accuracy, challenging accepted artistic norms of the time. El Greco's work is characterised by exaggerated proportions, stylised facial features, flat spaces, and unnatural colours.
El Greco's early life in Crete was influenced by Byzantine art, which is known for its use of unnatural proportions. When he moved to Venice, he was exposed to the innovative artistic world of the Italian Renaissance, particularly the works of Tintoretto and Titian, known for their freedom of style. El Greco incorporated these influences into his own unique style, blending Byzantine, Renaissance, and Mannerist concepts.
In Spain, where he spent the rest of his life, El Greco synthesised Byzantine symbolism with Mannerist ideas. His art sought to reconcile the earthly and the heavenly, reflecting his pious nature. El Greco's Mannerist style is evident in his use of intense colour relationships, flat spaces, and dramatic compositions. His preference for tall and slender figures and elongated compositions served both his expressive purposes and aesthetic principles.
El Greco's work has been described as "typically Mannerist" by modern scholars. His style is characterised by a focus on spiritual emotion, a rejection of descriptive ambitions, and a studied effort to acquire freedom of style. His compositions often feature violent perspective vanishing points and figures with twisting and turning postures.
In F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby", Nick compares West Egg to an El Greco painting, noting the darkness hanging over the extravagant houses. This comparison reflects the false appearances and impersonal nature of West Egg, mirroring the subjective portrayal of reality in El Greco's Mannerist style.
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Subjectivity and freedom
> "...a hundred houses, at once conventional and grotesque, crouching under a sullen, overhanging sky and a lustreless moon."
This description evokes a sense of darkness and gloom, contrasting with the extravagant houses of West Egg. The "grotesque" nature of the houses and the "sullen, overhanging sky" reflect a subjective interpretation of the scene, one that is influenced by Nick's emotions following Gatsby's death. This interpretation is further supported by the description of a drunken woman being carried by four men, adding to the sense of decay and corruption.
El Greco's unique style, influenced by the freedom and looseness of artists like Titian and Tintoretto, contributes to the subjective portrayal of reality in his paintings. His works often feature elongated and distorted figures, creating a sense of movement and emotion that deviates from definite or fixed images. This style resonates with the subjective nature of Nick's observations in Gatsby, as he pieces together events that may loosely resemble the truth, influenced by his memories and emotions.
The comparison between Gatsby and El Greco's paintings highlights the subjective nature of wealth and high society in the 1920s. While West Egg appears glamorous and extravagant, Nick's description reveals a darker, more impersonal reality. The wealth and luxury are contrasted with corruption and decay, reflecting the subjective experience of those living in that society. This subjective portrayal of reality is a powerful aspect of both Gatsby and El Greco's works, inviting readers and viewers to question their own perceptions of the world.
Furthermore, the comparison between Gatsby and El Greco's painting highlights the theme of false appearances in the novel. Nick uses the painting to illustrate how West Egg, despite its wealth and glamour, is a cold and false place filled with people putting on false appearances. This theme of deception and the subjective nature of reality is a powerful undercurrent in both the novel and El Greco's works.
Overall, the comparison between The Great Gatsby and El Greco's paintings showcases the subjective nature of interpretation and the freedom to portray reality in a unique and individual way. Both Fitzgerald and El Greco utilise this subjectivity to explore themes of wealth, corruption, and the illusion of happiness in their respective works.
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Illusion of wealth
In F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby", Nick compares West Egg to an El Greco painting, alluding to the illusion of wealth and the superficial nature of Gatsby's world. This comparison occurs towards the end of the novel, after Gatsby's death, and it is significant in understanding the themes of false appearances and the subjective nature of wealth.
Nick describes West Egg as:
> "...a hundred houses, at once conventional and grotesque, crouching under a sullen, overhanging sky and a lustreless moon."
The use of negative words like "grotesque" and "sullen" reflects Nick's growing awareness of the artificiality and ugliness of West Egg. The "lustreless moon" can be interpreted as a symbol of the artificial nature of West Egg, a "fake" version of East Egg. The darkness hanging over the scene also foreshadows the darkness that overshadows the extravagant houses, suggesting that beneath the surface, there is a sense of decay and corruption.
El Greco's unique style, with loose and elongated figures and free colours, further enhances the illusion of wealth in West Egg. The subjective portrayal of reality in El Greco's paintings mirrors the way wealth and high society in the 1920s are presented in "The Great Gatsby". The looseness of El Greco's style also alludes to memory and the subjective nature of truth, as events are not depicted exactly as they occurred but are open to interpretation.
The comparison to El Greco's painting highlights the false appearances and distorted reality of West Egg. Gatsby himself is a prime example of this, as his carefully structured life and extravagant parties are a facade to hide his true motivations and unfulfilled dreams. The drunken woman in the white dress, carried by four men, can be seen as a symbol of the women at Gatsby's parties, who are described as fake and adorned with jewels. The scene also reflects the impersonal nature of West Egg, where people are acting out their roles, and no one seems to care about the identity or well-being of others.
Overall, the allusion to El Greco's painting in "The Great Gatsby" serves as a powerful tool to expose the illusion of wealth and the superficiality of the world Gatsby inhabits. It reveals the darkness beneath the surface, the false appearances, and the subjective nature of wealth and happiness.
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False appearances
In Chapter 9 of the novel, Nick compares West Egg to an El Greco painting, describing it as "a hundred houses, at once conventional and grotesque, crouching under a sullen, overhanging sky and a lustreless moon". The negative words used in this description, such as "grotesque", "sullen", and "lustreless", contrast with the initial impression of wealth and happiness associated with West Egg. The artificial light of the moon, for instance, suggests that West Egg is a "fake" version of East Egg.
The El Greco painting is used by Nick to illustrate the cold and false nature of West Egg, where people put on false appearances. Gatsby himself is a prime example of this, as his life is carefully structured and rehearsed, like a play. The drunken woman described in Nick's dream vision, wearing a white dress and jewels, may represent the women at Gatsby's parties, who are also described as fake.
The loose and elongated figures in El Greco's paintings contribute to this sense of subjective reality. The rejection of definite or fixed images allows for a more free-spirited portrayal, which is also seen in The Great Gatsby. The wealth and high-society lifestyle of the 1920s are subjectively portrayed through corruption and decay, reflecting the distorted and impersonal nature of West Egg.
The reference to El Greco's paintings, with their dark and ominous tones, highlights the false appearances and underlying darkness in West Egg. This darkness is also associated with Gatsby's death, paralleling the idea that no one truly cared about him. Thus, the use of El Greco's paintings in The Great Gatsby reinforces the theme of false appearances and the distorted reality beneath the surface.
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East vs West
In F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, Nick Carraway compares West Egg to an El Greco painting in a dream sequence. This comparison is made towards the end of the novel, after Gatsby's death, and reflects Nick's view of the East.
The painting is described as follows:
> "I see it as a night scene by El Greco: a hundred houses, at once conventional and grotesque, crouching under a sullen, overhanging sky and a lustreless moon. In the foreground four solemn men in dress suits are walking along the sidewalk with a stretcher on which lies a drunken woman in a white evening dress. Her hand, which dangles over the side, sparkles cold with jewels."
This description evokes a sense of darkness and gloom, with the houses "crouching under a sullen, overhanging sky". The use of the word "grotesque" further adds to the negative tone of the description. The scene is a reflection of the impersonal and superficial nature of life in West Egg, where everything is about wealth and status, but there is a lack of genuine human connection.
The El Greco painting, with its loose and elongated figures and free use of colour, captures the subjective reality of the wealthy and high-society lifestyle of the 1920s, which is portrayed in The Great Gatsby through themes of corruption and decay. The painting's distorted and wavy appearance also symbolises the false appearances and pretence that characterise the society depicted in the novel.
In comparing West Egg to an El Greco painting, Nick is highlighting the contrast between the East and the West in the novel. While the East is associated with emptiness and moral decay, the West is seen as having a more moral centre. Nick and Gatsby, who are associated with the West, are portrayed as more moral and authentic in contrast to the "fake" and corrupted characters of Tom, Jordan, and Daisy in the East.
Through this comparison, Fitzgerald draws connections between the themes of his novel and the artistic style of El Greco, a painter from over three hundred years before, demonstrating the enduring relevance of El Greco's artistic vision.
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Frequently asked questions
In Chapter 9, Nick describes West Egg as:
> "...a night scene by El Greco: a hundred houses, at once conventional and grotesque, crouching under a sullen, overhanging sky and a lustreless moon. In the foreground four solemn men in dress suits are walking along the sidewalk with a stretcher on which lies a drunken woman in a white evening dress. Her hand, which dangles over the side, sparkles cold with jewels."
Nick's description of West Egg as a dark and impersonal place, filled with "fake" people, reflects his view of the East after Gatsby's death.
Nick's description of West Egg as a dark and impersonal place reflects the corruption and decay of the wealthy, high-society lifestyle of the 1920s. It also sets the tone and mood of the chapter, providing powerful imagery for Gatsby's funeral.
