Pale Grew Her Immortality, For Woe of All These Lovers 1885

Curator: Here we have Will Hicock Low's, "Pale Grew Her Immortality, For Woe of All These Lovers" made in 1885. It's currently held at The Art Institute of Chicago. It appears to be a mixed media work, combining gouache, watercolor, and perhaps some drawing elements, judging by the visible strokes and washes. The palette is restrained, almost monochromatic. Editor: My immediate response is melancholy. The muted colors contribute, of course, but it's the pensive expression of the figure, contrasted with the winged cupid whispering into her ear, that evokes this feeling. Curator: Yes, the subject embodies that feeling of romantic fatalism so common in the late 19th century. This work very much places itself within the artistic establishment and reflects trends such as those within academic art and history painting. Low’s time spent in Paris clearly left its mark. He gained recognition exhibiting in salons and teaching drawing. Editor: The Cupid is quite a striking detail here. His presence shifts the context from one of simple sadness to a symbolic narrative. Is he whispering words of love, or perhaps revealing the burden of immortality itself? It makes me think of Psyche, with Cupid’s secrecy mirroring psychological insights into trust and hidden truths. Curator: An insightful parallel to draw to Psyche. Low exhibited many fancy pictures that placed heavy emphasis on beautiful allegory. He held conservative social and political views, believing that art should represent the 'truthful' and the 'beautiful' which makes him more conservative than others influenced by Romanticism in the era. Editor: The flowers adorning her head reinforce this narrative, flowers, with their historical associations of fleeting beauty and cycles of life and death. The visual cues point towards love, beauty, loss, and an eternity tinged with sadness. They seem very Pre-Raphaelite in style. Curator: I think you are correct in the influence that Pre-Raphaelite style must have held for him. Interestingly, he did work as a muralist as well. One could imagine his exploration of narratives expanded and blown up across building spaces for a civic function, too. Editor: Considering his work in such a scale helps envision how deeply Will Hicock Low's vision of love, beauty, and loss, must have been embedded within the visual culture of his time. A world filled with eternal sadness and woe! Curator: An insightful interpretation for a piece that shows how Romanticism can find even more permutations as historical context shifts over the years.