The Duchess shed tears large as marrow-fat peas. 1911

Arthur Rackham made this watercolor and ink drawing, sometime around the turn of the last century. The palette is muted, almost as if he were painting in tears. I imagine Rackham hunched over his desk, a proper Edwardian gentleman obsessing over these strange characters. He’s laying down these delicate washes, building up the form of this distraught Duchess. The textures of the dress, the lace, all that fussy detail! It's as if he’s using the act of drawing to act out her over-the-top grief. Look at the tears like giant peas rolling down her dress. There’s something so theatrical about it. Rackham conjures this very particular emotional world, all the while inviting us to think about his own emotional and physical investment in the act of drawing. Artists are always having a conversation with each other across time, and I think we should all listen in!