Interpretasi Frasa Let Them Eat Cake dalam Karya Seni Lukis

Oleh :
Diva Adinda Anastessa - C0622016 - Fak. Seni Rupa dan Desain

Diva Adinda Anastessa. C0622016. 2026. Interpretasi Frasa Let Them Eat Cake dalam Karya Seni Lukis, Skripsi S-1 (Minat Penciptaan Seni), Program Studi Seni Rupa, Fakultas Seni Rupa dan Desain, Universitas Sebelas Maret.Skripsi penciptaan karya seni ini dilatarbelakangi oleh ketertarikan terhadap frasa Let Them Eat Cake yang lebih dikenal sebagai simbol ketidakpedulian aristokrasi daripada sebagai peristiwa sejarah yang kebenarannya masih diperdebatkan. Kondisi tersebut menunjukkan bagaimana sebuah frasa dapat berkembang menjadi mitos budaya yang terus diwariskan melalui berbagai bentuk representasi. Rumusan penciptaan berfokus pada interpretasi perkembangan makna frasa Let Them Eat Cake ke dalam karya seni lukis berdasarkan konsep denotasi, konotasi, dan mitos Roland Barthes. Tujuan penciptaan adalah mewujudkan interpretasi visual terhadap perkembangan makna frasa tersebut melalui karya seni lukis. Penciptaan menggunakan metode Practice-Based Research dengan media akrilik pada kanvas. Sumber ide diperoleh dari kajian sejarah frasa Let Them Eat Cake, konsep semiotika Roland Barthes, serta berbagai representasi budaya mengenai Marie Antoinette. Proses penciptaan meliputi eksplorasi gagasan, penyusunan konsep visual, pembuatan sketsa, pemindahan sketsa ke kanvas, pelukisan, hingga tahap finishing dan evaluasi karya. Hasil penciptaan berupa lima karya seni lukis figuratif yang menginterpretasikan perkembangan makna frasa Let Them Eat Cake, mulai dari makna denotatif, konotatif, hingga pembentukan mitos dalam ingatan kolektif masyarakat. Penciptaan ini menghasilkan sistem visual yang dibangun melalui hubungan antara figur perempuan, objek kue, dan kupu-kupu sebagai satu kesatuan makna. Objek kue berperan sebagai penanda utama frasa Let Them Eat Cake, figur perempuan merepresentasikan konstruksi mitos, sedangkan kupu-kupu memperkuat ironi di balik citra kemewahan. Hubungan ketiga unsur tersebut menghasilkan interpretasi visual baru terhadap frasa Let Them Eat Cake sebagai mitos budaya yang terus hidup dan dimaknai ulang melalui bahasa visual.Diva Adinda Anastessa. C0622016. 2026. Interpretation of the Phrase Let Them Eat Cake in Paintings, Bachelor’s Thesis (Art Creation Specialization), Fine Arts Study Program, Faculty of Arts and Design, Sebelas Maret University.This thesis on the creation of a work of art is motivated by an interest in the phrase “Let Them Eat Cake,” which is better known as a symbol of the aristocracy’s indifference than as a historical event whose veracity remains debated. This situation illustrates how a phrase can evolve into a cultural myth that continues to be passed down through various forms of representation. The creative process focuses on interpreting the evolution of the meaning of the phrase “Let Them Eat Cake” into a painting based on Roland Barthes’ concepts of denotation, connotation, and myth. The objective of this work is to realize a visual interpretation of the phrase’s evolving meaning through a painting. The creation employs the Practice-Based Research method using acrylic on canvas. The source of inspiration is drawn from a historical study of the phrase “Let Them Eat Cake,” Roland Barthes’s concepts of semiotics, and various cultural representations of Marie Antoinette. The creative process includes idea exploration, visual concept development, sketching, transferring sketches to canvas, painting, and the final stages of finishing and evaluating the artwork. The result of this creative process is five figurative paintings that interpret the evolution of the meaning of the phrase “Let Them Eat Cake,” ranging from its denotative and connotative meanings to the formation of a myth within the collective memory of society. This creative process produces a visual system constructed through the relationship between the female figure, the cake, and the butterfly as a unified whole of meaning. The cake serves as the primary symbol of the phrase “Let Them Eat Cake,” the female figures represent the construction of myth, while the butterflies reinforce the irony behind the image of luxury. The relationship between these three elements produces a new visual interpretation of the phrase “Let Them Eat Cake” as a cultural myth that continues to live on and is reinterpreted through visual language.