Golden Greeting 1905

Edward Burne-Jones created "Golden Greeting," a drawing exploring idealized love through a gendered lens. Burne-Jones was a key figure in the British Aesthetic movement, a movement reacting to the industrial revolution. The movement valued beauty for its own sake. Here, we see a man kneeling before a woman, receiving a kiss. The woman is an ethereal being, depicted in soft colors that emphasize her purity and grace. The man is kneeling, highlighting the power dynamic between them. Burne-Jones painted during a time when ideas about gender roles were very strict. Woman's identities were often reduced to symbols of purity or morality. This work reflects the Victorian idealization of women, but does so in a way that is also deeply personal. Through the use of mythological and romantic themes, Burne-Jones expressed his desires and anxieties about love and relationships. The drawing invites us to consider the societal expectations placed on men and women, reflecting the complex ways we navigate love and power.