I have long been an admirer of Edward Burne-Jones (1833-1898), and I am always eager to share his beautiful work with others. He speaks to the romantic in all of us, while firmly grounding his art in a deeper philosophical context. There is something remarkably English to his style, which tugs at my heart and stirs up my head.
Toward the end of his life, he worked steadily on a series of small watercolors, intended only for his private enjoyment, which were based on the names of common flowers. Instead of just picturing the plants themselves, he began only with the name, and then depicted a scene to offer a meaning to that name.
The themes are sometimes references to mythology, or to the Bible, or to earlier works by the artist. In some cases, they are quite mysterious, but they all immediately inspire a sense of reflection and of wonder. I always walk away from them a slightly better man, having learned a bit more about Nature and the human condition.
His widow, Georgiana, later published a limited run of facsimiles for all 38 paintings. They are presented here without any commentary—whatever an "expert" has to say may well ruin the pure enjoyment of the images.
—5/2017
Edward Burne-Jones, The Flower Book: Love in a Mist (1905)
No comments:
Post a Comment