Italian school; 17th century.

Italian school; XVII century.
"Mercury and Argos".
Oil on canvas.
Measurements: 173 x 191 cm; 189 x 206 cm (frame).
In this image of classical theme, two men are the protagonists of the scene, taking up with their monumentality almost the entire pictorial surface. Their classical clothing and their attitudes indicate that they are Mercury and Argos, as can be seen by the numerous eyes of one of the protagonists. Mercury, messenger of the gods with his winged helmet, observing the placid sleep of Argos, who rests with only two of his eyes closed. This pictorial scene is inspired by one of the myths that are part of Ovid's Metamorphoses, which tells how the love of Zeus for Io, arouses the wrath of Hera. Trying to enjoy a moment alone with his new love, Zeus unleashes a fog in order not to be seen, however, Hera manages to get rid of it. At this moment Zeus transforms Io into a white calf, but Hera consciously decides that Argus should be her guardian. Argus, who was a giant, stood out for his hundred eyes, which he never closed completely, not even to sleep. Due to the situation, Zeus sent Mercury to make Argus sleep. In this particular case, the figure of Argus follows the text faithfully, since the character is presented with a young appearance with numerous eyes, far from the subtle pictorial resource used by Velázquez, who also made a work with this theme and knew how to solve the story by hiding the eyes of the giant in his hair and presenting him to the viewer in a veiled way.
Aesthetically the work follows the stylistic precepts of the Italian school, showing a perfect anatomy of classical inspiration where the roundness of forms stands out. In addition, the pictorial palette is based on a palette of atornasolados colors as seen in the mantle of Mercury, very typical of the aforementioned school.