Gateway to British Art Prize 2023
Second place: Aryana Jones-Davis
The beauty of art has encompassed the gazes of humanity for eons. When we take our first glance at a work of art such as a painting, sculpture, or even a piece of fabric, our mind begins to run through what we are fixed upon, and some emotions may even begin to pulsate through us. When my eyes first fixed upon this exhibition, my immediate fixation was with a painting crafted by Frederic Leighton, a British baron, who was a renowned Victorian painter, sculpture, and draftsman. This particular painting focuses on the subject, Mrs. Ellinor Guthrie, who was in mourning during this sitting of this portrait.
Recalling the ever so Victorian practice of communicating through the language of flowers, my gaze was drawn to the arrangement of flowers that was delicately propped next to Mrs. Guthrie. One floral I was able to determine was the camellia, which during the Victorian era symbolized a longing for love and devotion and was showcased through many upper-class households. The second flower I saw depicted was a variation of white lilies, which symbolize purity or a heavenly aura and tie in with the sympathetic tone that is on display.
They are beautifully juxtaposed with the luxurious black fabric that drapes upon Mrs. Guthrie’s figure, billowing out beneath her and cinching at the waist to give structure. We see darkness expressed through Ellinor Guthrie’s mourning attire, as elegant as it may be, with the intricate appliques that are embroidered down towards the train, the traditional sleeves that provide full coverage, whilst maintaining its opulence in silky fabric that encases her physique.
Frederic, as the artist, not only emphasized the beauty of the grandeur that surrounded this subject, but also told a story and communicated to his audience with the array of florals that Ellinor ever so slightly places her hand upon. He ties the arrangement together with beautiful shades of cream, pale yellow, deep raspberry, violets, and red. I personally found the beauty to be within the details, how the closer you stare, the more velvety the brushstrokes appear. This is what made the painting so jarring to stare at. Ellinor’s appearance is eye-catching, with big doe eyes that you cannot help but stare into and feel the sorrow trapped within. Though her pain is showcased, her opulence is not forgotten. From corner to corner of this painting, her status is not forgotten for even a moment. The dark wooden chair, with its crisp golden engravings and remarkable velveteen cushion, subsequently matches the tablecloth beside Ellinor.
We are drawn into her world, this world of magnificence and financial security that seems to envelop her, even with the “faded” mural that sits behind her, further creating the mood for this illustration. I could not help but be thrown into her world, almost as if I could smell the fresh flowers beside her or feel the lustrous fabric beneath my fingertips as if I was in my lady quarters, being prepared for this sitting by myself. Ellinor’s beauty is not glossed over nor overtly sensualized within this painting; however, she is fixated at the center, keeping my focus on the expression trapped within her. I feel as though Frederic was speaking to us through not only the windows to her soul, but through the appropriate etiquette of the time with her attire and the language of the flowers that create the beauty of her emotions, almost spilling out, like the floral arrangements.