Tristan and Isolde 1902

Edmund Blair Leighton made this narrative painting, Tristan and Isolde, with oil on canvas. I feel like he was really trying to tell us a story, and maybe get a little gossipy too. Look at the way the light catches Isolde's dress, a kind of blush-pink that seems so innocent, and the way the red cape pulls your eye through the composition. I bet Leighton spent hours layering those colors, trying to get that luminous effect. You know, it's like he's inviting us to eavesdrop on this forbidden moment. The king in the background is maybe an afterthought, or an after-feeling – someone is always watching. It reminds me of Waterhouse, but with a touch more…dare I say it…soap opera? Anyway, artists are always in conversation, remixing old stories with new feelings. And Leighton? He’s definitely whispering something in our ear.