Dies Irae 1925

Here's a painting by Maxfield Parrish, Dies Irae, with its muted browns and blues, the figures are frozen, posed, in a kind of dreamy procession. What was Parrish thinking? Was he imagining a distant past, a time of knights and heraldry, or maybe something more personal, a kind of inner theater? The paint looks thin, almost like watercolor, layering up to create these smooth surfaces and soft edges, not a brushstroke in sight. I’m fascinated by the banner, with its checkered pattern and heraldic symbols. It's as if Parrish wanted to freeze a moment in time, capturing an imagined past with precision and clarity. Parrish's works, like those of other illustrators and painters, are part of an ongoing conversation across time, inspiring each other's creativity. This painting, for me, is not just an image, it's a portal, inviting you to daydream and imagine.