Apollo and Daphne c. 19th century

Editor: This is "Apollo and Daphne" by Edward Paxman Brandard, housed here at Harvard. It’s a detailed scene; the figures are so small within the landscape. What do you see in the arrangement of the forms? Curator: The composition is striking, the foreground with its figures rendered in sharp contrast to the misty, almost ethereal background. Notice how Brandard uses light and shadow to create depth and guide the eye. Editor: The contrast definitely creates a sense of distance. I’m curious, does the precise rendering of the foreground figures juxtaposed against the vagueness in the distance suggest something? Curator: Precisely! It could suggest a tension between the immediate, tangible world, and the distant, perhaps unattainable. Notice, too, the interplay of vertical lines of the trees against the horizontal sweep of the valley. What feeling does that evoke? Editor: It feels like a balance, even a harmony. It’s made me think about how the artist controls what we see and how we see it. Curator: Indeed. Brandard masterfully manipulates the formal elements to convey a complex visual experience.