Abstract

The objetive of this paper is to reflect on Orphism in its two conceptions: religious and artistic; and in its three meanings: the myth, the cult, and the artistic movement of the twentieth century. This research will not describe in detail the Orphic cult nor the artistic movement, but instead look for the reasons that led Guillaume Apollinaire to define Orphism within the field Cubism and develop hypotheses that lead to a deeper exploration of the subject. To establish these relations, the following are considered: research on religions, reflections on Ancient Greek myths by historian and anthropologist Jean-Pierre Vernant and philosopher Algis Uždavinys, and the notes on aesthetics and art by Guillaume Apollinaire, Pierre Francastel and Robert Delaunay. The works of Sonia and Robert Delaunay, Guillaume Apollinaire and Frantisek Kupka are also attached in relation to the present argument. The relationship between the artistic and the religious Orphisms is formed upon pictorial features and their symbolism, such as lyricism, color, light, shapes, rhythm and movement, and the effects that these elements have on artists and their audiences, which may be related to Orpheus myth and Orphic practices. In short, the music of Orpheus is experienced through the painting.