Fountainebleau: The Palace from the Carp Pond Possibly 1840

Editor: Here we have William James Müller's watercolour, "Fontainebleau: The Palace from the Carp Pond." There's such a wistful quality to it, don't you think? What captures your attention in this piece? Curator: It feels like a memory, softened by time, doesn't it? The light is beautifully diffuse, almost as if filtered through a melancholic lens. Notice how Müller uses the water to mirror not just the palace, but perhaps a fleeting moment. I find myself wondering what Müller felt in that moment. Do you sense a particular mood? Editor: Definitely, a sense of serenity, almost stillness. Thanks, I see how he used water to invoke a feeling. Curator: Exactly, it’s a dance between reality and reflection. It’s almost as if Muller is showing the viewer a dream of the palace rather than the palace itself.