The Sleeping Beauty 1921

John Collier made this painting called 'The Sleeping Beauty', and you can see how he's built up the image slowly, detail upon detail. It's a dreamy, romantic vision, all glowing colors and intricate patterns, like something from a tapestry. Look closely, and you'll see how the light catches the folds of the women’s dresses, and how the detail in the stained glass window reflects in the polished surface of the floor. The texture of the blanket is built up slowly, with detailed brushstrokes, to give the fabric a weight and sense of reality that contrasts so beautifully with the fairytale scene. Notice too how the muted colours give the scene an aged feel, as if we are looking at a memory. Collier reminds me a bit of the Pre-Raphaelites, all those narrative paintings full of symbolism and dramatic flair. But, it’s still his own take, a moment frozen in time, inviting us to lose ourselves in its beauty and mystery. Isn't that what painting is all about?