From April 22nd to the 26th, I'll share five of my favorite Pre-Raphaelite paintings that can be found at National Gallery of Art's special exhibit.
You can fully experience these five works, and many more during my tour on Sunday, April 29th!
Enjoy! And please feel free to comment below and share with your friends!
Make sure to see the other four other posts in the TTA blog.
You can fully experience these five works, and many more during my tour on Sunday, April 29th!
Enjoy! And please feel free to comment below and share with your friends!
Make sure to see the other four other posts in the TTA blog.
I have loved this painting for many years. It's the one I chose to open my book, Touching The Art, with. Here is my "reading" of the scene (from the book):
Her eyes look up to his…imploring. He looks down at her. He looks as if he’s trying to reassure her. Why? What is she worried about? He’s caressing her with one hand, and it looks like he’s grabbing a white scarf around his arm. She is wrapping it around his arm, or trying to. Her fists are squeezing tightly, but his hand is holding it back. Why does she want to put this scarf on him? Why does he prevent it? She looks upset that they are saying goodbye. Will putting this scarf on him reassure her?
They are in the middle of a secluded garden—an old brick wall, ivy growing, an unkempt garden with weeds and a few flowers. They look like they are alone. Their parting is covert. Is she afraid of his leaving their hiding? It looks as if he has just kissed her goodbye and must now leave. His head, only, still leans in towards her. Why does he leave? He does not wear military dress, but he does look like he wears some kind of uniform: a trim jacket, black cap, ruffled collar,
and gold medallion. She wears a long black dress with yellow stripes on her shoulders. She is young, beautiful, elegant. They look like they are dressed to be in the interior of a parlor, but instead are outside an overgrown garden. She does not want him to leave, at least not without the white scarf attached—her tiny fists strain to tighten it against his casually firm fingers—but he looks resolved to leave.
I will leave you to discover the meaning of the scarf and the danger by giving you the title (below) but the meaning of the moment depicted... there's a poem by Richard Lovelace that captures it--I could imagine the man saying these words:
Tell me not, Sweet, I am unkind
That from the nunnery
Of thy chaste breast and quiet mind
To war and arms I fly.
True, a new mistress now I chase
The first foe in the field;
And with a stronger faith embrace
A sword, a horse, a shield.
Yet this inconstancy is such
As you too shalt adore;
I could not love thee, Dear, so much
Loved I not Honor more.
You can find the painting's background story by Googling, "The Huguenot Lover, by John Everett Millais."
and gold medallion. She wears a long black dress with yellow stripes on her shoulders. She is young, beautiful, elegant. They look like they are dressed to be in the interior of a parlor, but instead are outside an overgrown garden. She does not want him to leave, at least not without the white scarf attached—her tiny fists strain to tighten it against his casually firm fingers—but he looks resolved to leave.
I will leave you to discover the meaning of the scarf and the danger by giving you the title (below) but the meaning of the moment depicted... there's a poem by Richard Lovelace that captures it--I could imagine the man saying these words:
Tell me not, Sweet, I am unkind
That from the nunnery
Of thy chaste breast and quiet mind
To war and arms I fly.
True, a new mistress now I chase
The first foe in the field;
And with a stronger faith embrace
A sword, a horse, a shield.
Yet this inconstancy is such
As you too shalt adore;
I could not love thee, Dear, so much
Loved I not Honor more.
You can find the painting's background story by Googling, "The Huguenot Lover, by John Everett Millais."
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