The Passover in the Holy Family Gathering Bitter Herbs 1856

Curator: Well, look at this, will you? It feels… almost blurry, like a half-remembered dream. Editor: Indeed, this is Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s "The Passover in the Holy Family Gathering Bitter Herbs," created in 1856. Rossetti's approach here, as a member of the Pre-Raphaelites, emphasizes detailed observation, fidelity to nature, and often incorporates symbolic meanings into biblical and mythical scenes. Curator: Symbolic meanings are all well and good, but the effect it creates is like squinting in the bright sunlight, not being able to quite focus on anything sharply, but all the colours run into each other… Is that just me? Editor: No, I can appreciate your response. Rossetti frequently utilized watercolour and gouache in layers to achieve such a saturated effect, which contributes to the softening of contours. Observe, though, how he precisely articulates the postures within the tightly arranged figuration of the Holy Family, with John the Baptist and their relations all together here. Each stance and activity embodies deep-seated emotion and reflects narrative depth within this domestic interpretation. Curator: I suppose it does. Still, I prefer his paintings with more punch to them! This one is so… subdued. The way he presents a quiet scene in watercolor... It feels intensely introspective, almost claustrophobic if you consider all those people pressed into what feels like such a small space. Is that just an interpretation of the watercolor? Editor: To say the dimensions of the space feel more cramped compared to that of a classical setting highlights an interesting interpretation! Remember though, Pre-Raphaelite focus wasn't purely just naturalism. You must view that stylistic composition choice through his thematic ambition: the merging domestic and divine. Curator: That merging might feel like you're crowding the composition, as a Pre-Raphaelite approach! Editor: Perhaps this very tension enriches Rossetti’s reinterpretation of scripture, wouldn't you say? After all, that stylistic compression reinforces its message about love, loss and human hope… and it also challenges conventional pictorial narratives through his highly idiosyncratic lens. Curator: Okay, okay. I can admit that it has... something! It is as if all this compression focuses your eye on the emotional core of the family, that might only ever truly exists in dreams or memories, something ineffable, hidden somewhere between color and the story being told. Editor: Precisely.