ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Nolan's 'The Odyssey' draws on Goya's 'Saturn' for cyclops scene

other · 2026-07-26

Christopher Nolan's 2026 film 'The Odyssey' draws inspiration from Francisco de Goya's 'Saturn Devouring His Son' (1819–1823) for the cyclops Polyphème scene. Nolan displayed a reproduction of the painting on set. The film, shot in 70mm IMAX with natural sets, rejects digital effects. Nolan cited Goya's dark atmosphere as key. Other art references include Odilon Redon's 'Cyclops' (1914), Francis Bacon's distorted figures, and J.M.W. Turner's 'Ulysses Deriding Polyphemus' (1829). The siren scene echoes John William Waterhouse's 'Ulysses and the Sirens' (1891) and 'A Mermaid' (1900). Nolan, a known art enthusiast, previously used M.C. Escher for 'Inception', cubism for 'Oppenheimer', Francis Bacon for 'The Dark Knight', Caspar David Friedrich for 'Interstellar', and William Turner for 'Dunkirk'. A fake Goya painting appeared in 'Tenet'. Nolan called AI 'a Trojan horse' in cinema.

Key facts

  • Nolan's 'The Odyssey' (2026) uses Goya's 'Saturn Devouring His Son' as inspiration for the cyclops scene.
  • Nolan displayed a reproduction of Goya's painting on set during filming.
  • The film was shot entirely in 70mm IMAX with natural sets, opposing digital effects.
  • Nolan described the cyclops scene's horror as stemming from the monster's indifference to humans.
  • Other art references include Odilon Redon's 'Cyclops', Francis Bacon's figures, Turner's 'Ulysses Deriding Polyphemus', and Waterhouse's siren paintings.
  • Nolan has previously cited M.C. Escher, cubism, Francis Bacon, Caspar David Friedrich, and William Turner as influences.
  • A fake Goya painting was central to the plot of Nolan's 'Tenet'.
  • Nolan called AI 'a Trojan horse' in response to a question about AI in cinema.

Entities

Artists

  • Christopher Nolan
  • Francisco de Goya
  • Odilon Redon
  • Francis Bacon
  • J.M.W. Turner
  • John William Waterhouse
  • M.C. Escher
  • Caspar David Friedrich
  • William Turner
  • Arnold Böcklin
  • Ary Ernest Renan
  • Giandomenico Tiepolo
  • Hoyte van Hoytema
  • HugoDécrypte

Institutions

  • Beaux Arts Magazine
  • Los Angeles Times
  • Tate Modern
  • Universal Pictures
  • Bridgeman Images
  • National Gallery of Victoria
  • Rijksmuseum Kröller-Müller

Locations

  • Otterlo
  • Netherlands
  • Melbourne
  • Australia
  • Mediterranean

Sources