![]() ![]() Yet, although the drawing by Elizabeth Siddal is less striking at first sight, perhaps, it is arguably more profound and powerful as a form of female as well as artistic self-expression. The paintings by William Holman Hunt and John William Waterhouse on this theme are very famous. For the Pre-Raphaelites, as for Tennyson, the Lady of Shalott was a symbol of the condition of the artist, stuck in the tower of academic conventions, and yet willing to break free, even at the cost of his or her own life. Within a few hours, she is found dead in her boat. One day, she notices the reflection of Sir Lancelot walking at the bottom of the tower, turns around to stare at him, and decides to sail to Camelot, taking with her the tapestry she had woven during her life in captivity. She is the victim of a mysterious curse: she lives alone at the top of a tower, on an island, only able to look at the world through a mirror. The ballad recounts the life of the Lady of Shalott, a character from the Arthurian Legend. ![]() The poem “Lady of Shalott” (1832) by Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1808-1892) was a source of inspiration for several painters of the Pre-Raphaelite artistic movement. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |