Art: the Pre-Raphaelites (2)
There weren't just paintings. There were other art-works, such as this lovely stained-glass musical angel by Edward Burne-Jones. If you look him up, you'll find he did a lot of angels. Well, they are lovely creatures, real or not, aren't they?
There was even a bed! It belonged to William Morris, the designer and craftsman, who created all those flowery textiles you can still buy. The hangings and pelmet were designed by his daughter, May. She was obviously into embroidery, which must need more patience than I've got - even if I had the fingers for it.
I bet it would be cozy in the winter when you pulled the curtains round. I wanted to try it out and take a snooze - it's very tiring taking in so much sumptuous beauty - but I'm sorry to say you weren't allowed to.
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There was also this amazing piece of furniture, King Rene's Honeymoon Cabinet, richly decorated by several different artists. It wasn't a royal wedding present as I'd thought, but an architect's desk designed by John Pollard Seddon, in 1861 for himself. I wonder what he kept in it? King René of Anjou lived back in the 15th century, was a great patron of the arts, and apparently spent his honeymoon devoted to art! Walter Scott included it in his novel Anne of Geierstein, or The Maiden of the Mist. Sounds very romantic, but Alice hadn't read it..jpg)
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The four images were repeated in a stained-glass panel.Here's the musical one, again but different. You'll have to click on it to see the detail, as with all the images on this blog. Big ones look even better if you open them in a new tab. Yes, I know I keep saying that! But someone reading here might be new to this lark, and not realise.
Furniture takes us into Alice's favourite item in the exhibition. No, it wasn't actually this "Egyptian" chair, by William Holman Hunt, although it does look pretty and pretty comfortable, too, and was really there in the gallery. It was the magnificent portrait hanging beside it.
The subject is actually sitting in that very same chair. The painting is called Il Dolce Far Niente, which means "It's lovely to do nothing." Yes, it certainly is: Alice should do it more often.It seems that the original model was his previous fiancée Annie Miller. When she left him he abandonned the picture for ages. Much later he re-painted the face with that of his new wife, Fanny Waugh. Did you ever... [Ever what exactly? Another of those silly truncated human expressions.]
Fanny tragically died in childbirth. Hunt later married her sister, Edith, which wasn't allowed in those days, so they had to live abroad. Deary me.
They had two more children, so I guess it turned out alright for him in the end.
My favourite painting was also by Hunt. It's his rendition of The Lady of Shalott, with her mirror onto the world behind her. I think it must be the exact moment when she impetuously looked out at the real Sir Lancelot, so that she got all tangled up in her weaving and broke the magical protection. He vividly captures that dramatic movement with her hair spinning out wildly all over the place. Aaah.
She made three paces through the room,
She saw the water-lily bloom,
She saw the helmet and the plume,
She look'd down to Camelot.
Out flew the web and floated wide;
The mirror crack'd from side to side;
"The curse is come upon me," cried
The Lady of Shalott.
That's from Tennyson's poem of the same name, which was often illustrated by various artists.
There's another interesting blog review of the exhibition with lots of pictures, as well. Kirsty Walker mentions that John William Waterhouse is an artist missed out by the Tate, much to her disappointment. He did another famous Lady of Shalott painting, with her setting off to Camelot in her barge.
Tennyson's tale is based on the story of Elaine of Astolat, who died of unrequited love for Lancelot. Alice has just burst out with,
"Men have died from time to time, and worms have eaten them, but not for love."
It's Rosalind, being realistic, in Shakespeare's As You Like It. Yes, dear, quite.
In 1981 there was a gloriously kitch John Boorman film about the tragic threesome, Excalibur, with a younger Helen Mirren as Morgana and Nicol Williamson playing a wonderfully eccentric Merlin. Alice loves it, even though (or because) it's so O.T.T.
The poem was also made into a song by the sweet-voiced Loreena McKennitt. A very good note to end on. Perhaps you will squirm at my love of puns. Never mind, it keeps me happy.
