Rosalind and Celia 1919

Here we see Eleanor Fortescue-Brickdale’s scene of Rosalind and Celia, painted with thin layers of watercolor to achieve a smooth and luminous surface. The painting looks back to romantic literature, creating an idealized vision of nature and human connection. Imagine the artist, carefully plotting out the composition, working on the subtleties of light and shadow. What might she have been thinking as she rendered each stone and ripple in the stream? She was probably thinking about love, loss, and redemption. The way the artist painted the water, for example, is really wonderful. It pulls me in and makes me think about the ebb and flow of life. These kinds of choices give the painting its emotional depth. It makes me think of other painters, like Millais or Waterhouse, who also wanted to give the viewer that feeling of transport. It is a conversation across time, isn't it?