John Everett Millais, Ophelia, 1851-2Tate Britain, London
(Source)
(Source)
A few years ago, I went to the Millais exhibition at the Tate Britain. I will unashamedly say that the exhibition was excellent and it spanned his paintings and drawings from the the age of 8 (!) until his late portaits. I resisted purchasing the catalogue because it was pretty damn thick and I already had a large number of books I was hauling back to Australia. I regret that decision because the exhibition showed Millais' change in influence and technique over his career.
Having said that, Millais come to prominence in his 20s as a co-founder of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. The group rejected the criteria on style and subject as prescribed by the Royal Academy, instead wanting to return to the simplicity of works from the early Renaissance (i.e. before the work of Raphael). An admirable aim. Having said that, there is something about Pre-Raphaelite works that I hate. I've previously mentioned my dislike for Victorian Art, but I think my specific dislike for the PRB stems from finding the works of others somewhat pompous (stand up, Rosetti!), and their predilection for declaring pouting, heavy-lidded, long nosed women 'beautiful' to be erroneous. Despite my general dislike for Pre-Raphaelite work, I do like this picture.
Modelled by the most famous PRB 'muse', Lizzie Siddal, Ophelia shows the fine brushwork and meticulous attention to nature and detail championed by the movement. There's also dramatic tension in seeing the mad girl newly dead or dying, slowly being dragged under as her ballooning gown gets filled with water. Incidentally, I think Siddal looks a lot like Tilda Swinton in this painting, someone who may be striking, but certainly not beautiful.
Having said that, Millais come to prominence in his 20s as a co-founder of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. The group rejected the criteria on style and subject as prescribed by the Royal Academy, instead wanting to return to the simplicity of works from the early Renaissance (i.e. before the work of Raphael). An admirable aim. Having said that, there is something about Pre-Raphaelite works that I hate. I've previously mentioned my dislike for Victorian Art, but I think my specific dislike for the PRB stems from finding the works of others somewhat pompous (stand up, Rosetti!), and their predilection for declaring pouting, heavy-lidded, long nosed women 'beautiful' to be erroneous. Despite my general dislike for Pre-Raphaelite work, I do like this picture.
Modelled by the most famous PRB 'muse', Lizzie Siddal, Ophelia shows the fine brushwork and meticulous attention to nature and detail championed by the movement. There's also dramatic tension in seeing the mad girl newly dead or dying, slowly being dragged under as her ballooning gown gets filled with water. Incidentally, I think Siddal looks a lot like Tilda Swinton in this painting, someone who may be striking, but certainly not beautiful.
1 comment:
it seems like Ophelia's errie death/dyingness is sucking the rest of the picture into her void. like the overall effect of it, even if it's a bit morbid.
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