Dimensions: support: 324 x 210 mm
Copyright: © The estate of Max Beerbohm | CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED, Photo: Tate
Curator: Sir Max Beerbohm, born in 1872, crafted this work, "Rossetti's Courtship." Currently held at the Tate, it presents a delicate scene rendered on a support measuring 324 by 210 millimeters. Editor: My first thought? Awkward! The composition feels deliberately tense. She's a pillar of blue, and he's all slouch and shadows. Curator: Absolutely. Beerbohm's known for his caricatures, and this seems to capture a strained dynamic, doesn't it? Rossetti, almost looming, while the figure, possibly Lizzie Siddal, stands rigidly. Editor: The scattered papers add to the chaos, a visual representation of unspoken anxieties. It's like a stage set for a drama about to unfold. Curator: Precisely. Beerbohm is using form to suggest the complexities of artistic relationships, the push and pull of ego and emotion. The space between them feels immense, almost theatrical. Editor: It's a curious piece, offering a wry commentary. I find myself strangely moved and amused at the same time.
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http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/beerbohm-rossettis-courtship-a01040
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Elizabeth Siddal was introduced to the Pre-Raphaelite circle by Walter Deverell in 1850. Her striking looks were the inspiration for many of Rossetti's pictures, and continued to exert their power even after her death twelve years later. By 1854 it seemed that she and Rossetti might marry, but it was only in 1860 that he finally agreed to wed her. Before meeting Rossetti, Siddal had made her own untutored drawings, but with his encouragement she produced a number of haunting and original watercolours. John Ruskin, who provided some financial support, considered her one of the five geniuses he had encountered in his life (the others were J.M.W.Turner, G.F.Watts, J.E.Millais and Rossetti). Gallery label, September 2004
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