The Rose Garden 1924

Editor: This is Arthur Rackham’s "The Rose Garden" from 1924, a mixed-media work combining watercolour and coloured pencil. The two figures, with their enormous skirts, seem almost swallowed by the floral scenery. What visual elements strike you most in this piece? Curator: Certainly, the overwhelming effect of the piece comes from the orchestration of line and colour. Consider how the meticulous linework defines the figures and architectural elements, while the diluted washes of watercolour soften the entire composition. Note how Rackham sets up a fascinating juxtaposition of precise lines against broad, diffuse washes. Editor: So, you're drawing attention to the contrast between the defined forms and the softer, blurred areas. Does that contrast contribute to a particular feeling? Curator: Absolutely. The linear quality lends a sense of structure, delineating form and space; whereas the watercolour washes, applied with what seems like a casual approach, contribute an atmospheric depth. Rackham carefully considers the tonal arrangement too, using a relatively narrow range of values to unify the visual field. The figures, the arbor, the roses – everything exists in dialogue with everything else through formal devices. Editor: I see that now, how the details contribute to the atmosphere. Curator: It prompts a consideration: if one removed the figures or the arbor or the rose bushes, would the composition hold? Are all the parts truly necessary or is one element dominant? Such questions lead us to an analysis of Rackham's compositional thinking. Editor: Thinking about the necessity of the elements really makes me see the art in a new way. Thank you. Curator: A formal approach encourages precisely this close consideration of the components that constitute aesthetic effect.