Honour’s Prize 1905

Edward Burne-Jones made this intriguing painting, Honour's Prize, sometime in the 19th century. The subdued palette of blues and greys, punctuated by the warm earthy tones of the border, gives the scene a dreamlike, almost ethereal quality. You can almost feel Burne-Jones coaxing this vision into being, layering his washes of colour, maybe wiping it away, shifting it bit by bit. I can't help but wonder what he was thinking as he painted the angel offering the prize. Was he grappling with his own notions of honour and reward? The contrast between the earthly soldier and the ethereal angel, the cool rocks and warm-toned border… it's a conversation, right? It's about what is precious, what is lasting. Burne-Jones was part of a larger conversation, too, a visual dialogue with other artists and thinkers. We all are! And that's what makes painting so exciting: it's a constant process of exchange, reinterpretation, and reinvention.