Esther (1865) John Everett Millais.Soon after seeing Millais’ work, Anne Thackery, daughter of Willi
Esther (1865) John Everett Millais.Soon after seeing Millais’ work, Anne Thackery, daughter of William Thackery, wrote “I cannot help longing to know the fate of ‘Esther’… after she went in through the curtains.” The Biblical Queen had long been a popular subject for artists from the Renaissance to the nineteenth century’s Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, who thrilled in the dramatic Old Testament tale of the great Hebrew beauty’s daring courage. However, Millais’ work is unique in that he chooses to depict Esther without obvious narrative force; instead, he captures an intermittent scene where she “put on her royal apparel, and stood in the inner court of the king’s house” (Esther, 5:1), preparing to set in motion an elaborate plan to defend her people from King Ahasuerus’ genocide. The story of Esther is translated into the aesthetic possibilities of a woman dressed in an elaborately brocaded grown, grasping a crown in one hand, her other pulling beads through her long auburn tresses. The tense mood of the moment is revealed in color contrasts and geometric arrangements, as the Queen seems poised to push through the heavy blue curtains. -- source link
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