Khnopff's woman is not representative of the ideal form of beauty, instead she appears threatening and some may say, haunting. Khnopff borrows heavily from the Pre-Raphaelite tradition of women with strong features such as fiery, red hair, and distinct features. the sterile and alarming stare of the woman in Khnopff's painting immediately creates an unpleasant and unsettling ambience, as opposed to the thoughtful countenances that are commonly seen in many Pre-Raphaelite paintings. Khnopff's lady not only looks hypnotized herself, but also seems to be hypnotizing the audience.
2 opmerkingen:
"God strengthen me to bear myself;
That heaviest weight of all to bear,
Inalienable weight of care.
All others are outside myself;
I lock my door and bar them out
The turmoil, tedium, gad-about.
I lock my door upon myself,
And bar them out; but who shall wall
Self from myself, most loathed of all?"
Christina is de zus van de dichter schilder Dante Gabriel, die overigens Dante zelf had toegevoegd aan zijn naam vanwege de verering voor zijn gote voorbeeld.
Khnopff maakte dit schilderij naar aanleiding van dit gedicht
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