The Room of Beauty

Olivier Ponsonnet

Cathrine Alice — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 19:49:17 +0000

Gorgeous CG works by French artist Olivier Ponsonnet. I love his use of subtle colours and soft light, giving the skin of his characters a certain translucency you rarely find in the works of other CG artists.

All images are © Olivier Ponsonnet and taken from his website www.re1v.free.fr. Check out more of his lovely work!

The death of Ophelia

Cathrine Alice — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 23:17:28 +0000

Ophelia, a famous character from Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”, is a young noblewoman who goes insane and drowns in a river. Whether or not her death is intentional is unclear, but the most famous painting depicting her tragic end is “Ophelia” by British painter Sir John Everett Millais painted in 1852.

The background, which consists of a typical English flora, was first painted by Millais by a riverbank in Surrey. Later he went back to his studio at number 7 Gower Street in London where he painted the drowning Ophelia. The model for Ophelia was the nineteen year old Elizabeth Siddal, an artist and a poet who became the great muse and most popular model for the Pre-Raphaelite painters. She eventually married the famous Pre-Raphaelite painter Dante Gabriel Rossetti, and according to her brother-in-law she was “a most beautiful creature with an air between dignity and sweetness with something that exceeded modest self-respect and partook of disdainful reserve; tall, finely-formed with a lofty neck and regular yet somewhat uncommon features, greenish-blue unsparkling eyes, large perfect eyelids, brilliant complexion and a lavish heavy wealth of coppery golden hair.” (Ash, Russell (1995) Dante Gabriel Rossetti). When posing for “Ophelia”, Millais purchased an antique dress for her to wear, and had her lie in a bathtub filled with water. In order to keep her warm, he placed numerous oil lamps underneath the tub, but at one point he got so caught up in his work that he failed to notice that the lamps had gone out. Elizabeth, as the diligent model that she was, did not complain for a second, and ended up with a severe cold which made her father so furious he charged Millais for the medical expenses. In the aftermath “Ophelia” is said to be the best likeness of Siddal, although the painting itself got a mixed reception when it was first exhibited at The Royal Academy.

Siddal died at the age of 32 by an overdose of laudanum shorty after becoming pregnant for the second time with the child of Dante Gabriel Rossetti. Although her death was declared to be an accident in the official records, there were rumours that she had left a suicide note. Rossetti was overcome with grief, and he reportedly slit one of her poems into her red hair before she was buried.

The 7 Deadly Sins

Cathrine Alice — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 23:08:03 +0000

I would like to show you a lovely picture series by Polish digital artist Marta Dahlig, depicting the seven deadly sins through the allegorical figures of women. She uses Photoshop to create her artworks, and in this series we can also witness a strong inspiration taken from the ornamental backdrops of the works of Czech artist Alphonse Mucha. According to The Picture Book of Devils, Demons and Witchcraft by Ernst and Johanna Lehner, all seven sins led to a specific punishment in hell, and I have inserted a brief explanation of each of them below their respective picture.

All pictures © Marta Dahlig. See more of her work in her CG Portfolio.

Punishment: Being crushed on a wheel of torture

Punishment: Smothered in fire and brimstone

Punishment: Thrown into cauldrons of boiling oil

Punishment: Being force-fed with rats, toads and snakes

Punishment: Thrown into freezing water

Punishment: Dismembered alive

Punishment: Thrown into a snake pit

What is your sin, and what would your punishment in hell be? As for me, my sin would be Sloth, with Envy in a close second.

The sacrifice of the Lady Godiva

Cathrine Alice — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 00:21:42 +0000

I came across this lovely luminous painting of Lady Godiva by British painter John Collier (1850-1934) who painted in the Pre-Raphaelite style and became one of the leading portrait painters of his days. For years I believed Godiva to be a fairytale legend, because what sensible, honorable 11th century woman would ever ride naked through town? Turns out that one might actually have.

Lady Godiva (fl. 1040-1080) was an Anglo-Saxon noblewoman married to Leofric, commonly known as the “grim Earl of Mercer”. The chronicles written about them did not involve her infamous ride, so there is no firm evidence that it ever took place – but the legend arose from the Chronica for Roger of Wendover from 1057. Apparently Leofric had imposed heavy taxations on the citizens of Coventry, and Godiva repeatedly pleaded with him to relieve his poor tenants of the great financial burden they were facing. Leofric presented her with a challenge: if she would consent to ride naked through the streets of Coventry, he would grant her request. The rest of the story has not been documented, but allegedly she took him by his word and announced that the streets of Coventry should be emptied and all windows shut in order to prepare for her nude procession through town. Partially covered by her long hair, she rode through the silent streets unseen by everyone but nearly one: a curious man called Tom was unable to resist the urge of peeping, and in one of history’s most famous instances of voyeurism he bored a hole through the shutters. However, before he could get a glimpse of the happenings outside, he was struck blind. His naughty actions gave rise to the expression “peeping Tom”.

When Godiva had completed her quest, Leofric fulfilled his pledge and abolished the taxes.

Or so it has been said.

The Death of Chatterton

Cathrine Alice — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 14:09:48 +0000

“The Death of Chatterton” is the most highly acclaimed painting of English Pre-Raphaelite painter Henry Wallis, where he depicted the impoverished late 18th-century poet Thomas Chatterton who poisoned himself in despair at the age of only seventeen. However, did you know that there was a big scandal involving the people connected to this image? The model for Chatterton was the young poet George Meredith. At the age of twenty one he married Mary Ellen Nicolls, but because his authorship failed to support her and their baby son, their marriage became increasingly strained and unhappy. In 1858, two years after the making of “The Death of Chatterton”, Mary Ellen eloped with Wallis, and Meredith never saw her again. She died three years later.

This beautiful painting now hangs in Tate Britain, London, where a large collection of Pre-Raphaelite works is to be found. When looking at it, I do not see only the sadness of one poet, but of two.

Melanie Delon

Cathrine Alice — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 00:08:31 +0000

Melanie Delon is a digital artist from Paris who works as a freelance illustrator, using Photoshop and Painter, along with a digital tablet to create her stunningly realistic, but yet so surreal images. She has had no formal training in digital art, everything being learnt through experimentation and diligent practice, however she explains that she gained a great deal of inspiration and understanding of the evolution of art through her years of studying History of Art at university. To me this woman is truly inspirational – she is a proof that you do not need a formal Fine Arts education in order to become a successful and talented artist, and that gives me hope that I can one day combine my own History of Arts degree with a job as a painter.

Monarch of the Glen

Cathrine Alice — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 01:45:34 +0000

Were you also an ardent fan of “Monarch of the Glen”? Ardverikie House featured as the estate of “Glenbogle” in the BBC success series, and it was this drama, set in the beautiful Scottish highlands, which enticed my friend and I to visit Scotland in the first place. The estate is a private property and does not welcome random uninvited cars and visitors, however my friend and I hired bikes, cycled an hour through the forest and discreetly hid in some distant bushes in order to get a quick glimpse of this beautiful, ethereal location.

All the photos are my own.

Ardverikie House was built in the Scottish Baronial style in the 1870s, and is now one of the finest private houses in Scotland. Queen Victoria and her beloved Prince Albert spent a whole month here before buying Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire. The estate is now a popular place for self-catered lodgings, weddings and highland activities.

The ghost of chivalry

Cathrine Alice — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 21:26:35 +0000

Edmund Blair Leighton was an English painter of historical genre scenes specializing in Regency and Medieval subjects. He never rose to great fame, perhaps due to his paintings being romantic and decorative rather that morally didactic, however I believe his vibrant colours and highly finished surfaces produce an ethereal aura that is worthy of recognition. As of today very little is known about Leighton as he never wrote any diaries or statements on his own art, so all we can do when looking at his work is to dream of a world now lost. Or perhaps of a world that never really existed?