The sweet and touching tale of Fleur and Blanchefleur 1922

This illustration by Eleanor Fortescue-Brickdale depicts a scene with figures in medieval dress, under a tree laden with vibrant red flowers. I can imagine Brickdale hunched over her drawing board, carefully choosing each color to bring this sweet tale to life. The flat, bold colors—red, blue, yellow, green—give the image a graphic quality, like a page from a beloved storybook. Look at the way the bright yellow of the tree trunk contrasts with the deep reds of the blooms, and how those reds are echoed in the clothing of the figures. There is an intentional stiffness to the figures. I think Brickdale was captivated by romantic tales of the medieval world. It reminds me of the Pre-Raphaelites who were similarly obsessed. Artists, you know, we're all magpies, borrowing and transforming the ideas of those who came before us. It’s a continuous dialogue across time. What I find interesting is how she translated that interest into something uniquely her own!