Such Stuff as Dreams are Made on - from The Tempest 

Curator: Let's delve into this evocative watercolor, "Such Stuff as Dreams are Made On - from The Tempest" by Edmund Dulac. Editor: It's remarkably atmospheric, isn't it? The swirling forms, mostly blues and muted gold, create a palpable sense of dreaminess. The eye is drawn into a strange celestial seascape. Curator: Indeed. Dulac, a prominent figure in the Golden Age of Illustration, was deeply interested in bringing different literary and cultural perspectives into dialogue, drawing inspiration here from Shakespeare's famous play. Consider the colonial themes inherent to *The Tempest,* for instance. Editor: I can see the appeal for an artist interested in symbolism. The fluid washes allow the viewer to project their own meaning onto the forms. Curator: Precisely. This piece serves as an exploration of power and vulnerability, reflecting on how Prospero manipulates Ariel and Caliban—indigenous people of a sort—to attain his desires. Editor: From a formal perspective, the vertical format emphasizes the reaching, almost yearning quality within the brushstrokes. The limited color palette also gives the artwork a somewhat archaic feel, echoing a lost era, which reinforces Shakespearean themes of time and transformation. Curator: Right. It evokes Prospero's famous soliloquy in Act IV, Scene I, where he reflects upon the transient nature of reality. Remember his lines? "We are such stuff as dreams are made on, and our little life is rounded with a sleep." That’s a sentiment tied to the destructive legacies of colonialism and our relationship to the natural world. Editor: Looking closer, notice how the horizon line seems unstable, wavering slightly—emphasizing an oneiric reality where everything, like identity or cultural understanding, can transform at a whim. Curator: Exactly. What Dulac offers here is more than illustration; it’s a somber reflection on the very fabric of existence as revealed through Shakespeare’s interrogation of Renaissance power dynamics. It shows how deeply narratives about class, gender, and race are tied to European projects of empire. Editor: Seeing these layered themes unfold through such subtle rendering helps us to better perceive the work's beauty. I'm particularly taken by Dulac's confident ability to coax shape and presence through his suggestive compositions. Curator: Yes, this artwork acts as a window into a world shaped by grand ambition and its attendant shadows.