The paintings being compared and contrasted within this essay include Ophelia and The Awakening Conscience, both of which can be found in the Tate Modern Museum, located in London, UK. Ophelia was created by Sir John Everett Millais, Bt between 1851-1852 using oil paint on canvas, with the dimensions coming in at around 30in x 44in. The Awakening Conscience was created by William Holman Hunt in 1853, who also used oil paint on canvas to create his masterpiece with dimensions of 30in x 22in. The shared theme among these two works of art is that of storytelling, where each illustrates a particular story that is well known to many. The primary contrast between these two artworks is the content within them. The Awakening Conscience’s story deals with a spiritual revelation of the woman depicted, while Ophelia is illustrating a scene from Shakespeare’s Hamlet that involves the near-death of Lady Ophelia.
The subject matter of Ophelia is that of Lady Ophelia floating in the river where she was once picking flowers after being driving to madness when her lover, Hamlet, murders her father. It is within this stream that she will drown. This is a well-known illustration of Ophelia’s death in Shakespeare’s Hamlet in Act IV, Scene vii. The form within this work is especially intriguing, as there is a variety of color within the plants that surround the streamside. The stream, in particular, is rather narrow and leaves viewers wondering exactly how Ophelia was able to drown herself in such a small space. There is a great contrast between the color of the woman’s face and the darkness of the waters she resides in. This is an obvious additive that enables the viewer’s eyes to be immediately drawn to Ophelia’s face and the emotion that is held there. She appears to be at peace, but at the same time, one can see the pain behind her eyes over the fact that she has lost both her lover and her father. The plant life within this painting is almost hyperrealistic, which makes sense as most have symbolic significance and are depicted with painstaking botanical detail. The style of this work is representational realism, as it applies most of its attention to the details of the structures within the work. As previously stated, the artist took the time to put in a great amount of botanical detail into the plants surrounding the scene. He also took the time to apply a noticeable texturization to Ophelia’s dress to make it seem more realistic to a viewer. The colors that are used are not otherworldly, rather they set the tone for a tragic scene, such as the one being shown, by being more faded thanks to the dimmer lighting of the sun, which only reinforces the realistic aspect of this work. This intense attention to natural details draws in viewers to the solemn sight of a young woman’s death. The media of this work is oil paint on canvas, the canvas being the support of the artwork. Oil paint is a non-aqueous media, meaning it requires some other diluent like turpentine or mineral spirits. Pigments are compounded together with the binder to create a variety of oil paint colors, with the binder typically being Linseed oil. Millais bought two pieces of canvas for the creation of Ophelia, which is known as a double canvas. He placed one behind the other to protect the back of the painting. Both of the canvases were primed with a glue solution, as well as a ground made of lead white paint. Millais painted on a layer of zinc white to make the canvas appear brighter.
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The subject matter of The Awakening Conscience is the moment the young woman in the painting has a spiritual revelation while at her lover’s house. The reflection in the mirror behind the couple represents the woman’s lost innocence due to her role as a mistress to the man, but redemption is possible and is shown by rays of light shining through the open window into the parlor. This work of art is full of symbolic elements, such as the cat toying with a bird who seems to have a broken wing, which represents the woman’s plight to enlightenment, and the discarded glove on the floor, which represents the likely fate of a cast-off mistress, that being prostitution. The woman is ensnared in a destructive web of her own making, which is symbolized through the yarn strewn about on the floor, and this moment is when she will decide whether she will continue on her given path, or if she will branch out to better ways of living. The form of this artwork is interesting in the fact that it is rich with various color and is given the illusion of space thanks to the open window which allows for a viewer to see the world beyond the given room. The variety of colors is a shared aspect of form amongst the two given works and makes the art seem all that more alive to a viewer. The Awakening Conscience most certainly has more color options available to a viewer, such as the blue walls, red carpet, brown piano, etc., but Ophelia offers various shades of green thanks to the set location of the scene. Both of the paintings involve depictions of nature, although Ophelia is actually located outdoors by a stream, surrounded by nature, while The Awakening Conscience only allows a slight glimpse of the outside world from inside a parlor room via a mirror. The style of both works also contrasts with one another slightly. As previously stated, Ophelia’s style is more geared towards representational realism due to its attention to detail and realistic appearance. The Awakening Conscience is also representational, but not as realistic as Ophelia. It has a slight idealization of the form, most likely stemming from the religious aspect of the work. Awakening shares the same media as Ophelia, that being oil paint on canvas.
For a painting’s story to be told, there needs to be visual elements that allow for such unfolding. These elements guide the viewer’s eye to the most significant portions of the work that allow for a better understanding of what is going on. Shared visual elements between the two given works include line, shape/mass, light, color, and time/motion, although both individual artworks exhibit other elements apart from each other. To start with, line is not as prominent of a visual element in comparison to the others. But there are particular sets of line arrangements in both artworks that are rather significant to the overall stories of the pieces. An onlooking viewer may notice the odd way that Lady Ophelia is floating in the water, horizontally with her arms somewhat outstretched beside her and her gaze aimed skyward. This particular pose resembles the way artists would depict saints or martyrs, which allows for an emphasis to be placed on the innocence of Ophelia. In The Awakening Conscience, there is a great amount of vertical lines shown, but these are not as important as the line of sight coming from the man in the painting. His eyes are set on his mistress, which leads a person’s eyes to the face of the mistress, which are full of wonder from the revelation she is experiencing. A viewer can then follow her line of sight to what lays beyond the open window, which is noticeable through the mirror behind her. Shape and mass are also important in directing a viewer’s attention to the most crucial parts of the paintings. In Ophelia, the shape of her body floating in the water is the most evident aspect of the work. Although the plant life surrounding her takes up more space in the painting, it is the different shape of her body within the water that draws the attention of a person first. Her figure is seen as the positive shape, while the plants in the background are the negative shapes. It is the same concept in the other painting. The difference of shapes causes a person’s eyes to be immediately directed in that direction. The two people in the middle of the painting take up a majority of space, and therefore that allows a viewer to deem them as significant to the overall telling of the story. The color choices in both artworks allows the scenes to become more vibrant and lively, more so in Awakening than Ophelia. The difference in colors corresponds to the style in which they were painting. Because Ophelia is more realistic, the color choices were more earthy and toned down to show the lack of sunlight during that particular time. This lack of light also sets the tone of the scene as more somber, due to the darker setting. It also helps viewers who do not know the story of Ophelia to understand that what is about to happen is not a joyful thing. Because the scene is outside surrounded by nature, a majority of color would be green. Millais made this lack of variety still lively by providing different shades of greens, making the plants look all the more realistic. It is the rich blue that Millais put as the water and the greyish silver color of the dress that offset the explosion of green occurring. These different hues draw in the focus of a viewer to the death of Lady Ophelia in the water. On the other hand, Awakening is full of vibrant color arrays thanks to the idealization of the scene. The blue walls, red carpet, and reddish-brown furniture all add to the spirited nature of the piece. In this particular work, light/color function very close together to create the wanted effect. It is the pure color of the light outside that is seen through the window that attracts the attention of the viewer to what is stirring up the emotions within the woman. The scene outside is idealized, but this is because of its religious message that it is trying to convey alongside the story. Both pieces are frozen in time, each person within them unable to complete whatever movement they were performing before. In Ophelia, the flow of the stream is stopped, and a person can notice that her midsection is now slowly being pulled down by the weight of her dress in the water. Her hair is spread out in the ripples of the water, as well as the hem of her dress, though that part is more submerged. The leaves in the water are halted in their movement, and the reeds to the side of the stream are slightly bent, most likely due to a breeze. In Awakening, the movement is evident in the pose of the woman and man. The woman is attempting to stand, while the man has his hand outstretched to her, almost as if he is trying to stop her from leaving. The cat in the bottom portion has stopped toying with its bird and is now raising its head to the scene that is occurring above it. There must be a slight breeze coming from the open window, as the nearby curtains are billowing, and the woman’s hair is positioned in a way that resembles air being blown across it. Because these are both depictions of well-known scenes from stories, it makes sense that the artists would want to exhibit time and motion within them and make it seem like they froze these particular scenes in time. Each of these visual elements allow for the stories of these two artworks to be more understandable to a viewer, and for more insight on other factors of the story to be evident.
Visual elements are not the only things needed to enhance the storytelling aspect of the paintings. Design principles also play a crucial role in this task. Shared design principles between the two artworks include visual and conceptual unity and variety, balance, and emphasis and subordination. There is a great deal of conceptual unity between the two pieces in terms of their overall theme, but not when it comes to their content. Both artworks share the theme of storytelling, though their stories both come from different places. In Awakening, there is a great deal of variety going on, especially in the lower half of the work. It almost seems chaotic due to the messy appearance. The usage of different colors to create the interior of the parlor also adds to the chaotic energy of the art, which is ironic because some of the colors aid the viewer in discovering the true content and meaning of the piece, those being more geared towards a religious discovery. In Ophelia, unity is evident in the placement of similar flowers together and the coherent color of green used throughout. The variety comes in through the different shades of green used and the different colors of the water and Ophelia’s dress compared to the nature around them. The various colored pansies within Ophelia’s hand, which are symbolic of love in vain, also emphasize the variety within the work. Both pieces share an asymmetrical balance to them, where one side does not “mirror” the other, but rather expresses an entirely new and different set of colors, lines, etc. This allows for both artworks to become more dramatic while trying to convey what they mean and may allow for the onlooker to feel energized or possible anxious in the case of Ophelia. For Awakening, the left side of the painting appears darker than the right due to the light from the window only being able to spread on the right side, and thus causes a greater weight to be held on the left. The visual element of light aids in this distortion and allows for further interpretation of whether the intentions of the man on the left and darker side are as pure as he may make them out to be to the woman, who is basking in light on the right. But just because a work is asymmetrical does not mean it is not balanced. Although the left side of Awakening is darker, more objects appear heavier on the right, which evens everything out again. In Ophelia, the plant life above her body holds a great amount of weight compared to her, but it is because of her different shape in comparison to the leaves and grasses that draws a viewer’s eye to her. Ophelia’s dress is texturized due to the silver beading of it, making it appear heavier than the dark blue waters it resides in. This texturization also allows for the balance to be a little more evened out between the plants and the stream. Emphasis and subordination play major roles within both artworks and are the most significant of design principles in telling the story of these two women. For Awakening, major emphasis is placed on the things with lighter colors, as light colors are often associated with purity. The woman’s dress to start with is completely white and stands out amongst the darker colors of the parlor. With that being said, subordination is placed on the man, who is shrowded in dark from his suit to the walls that surround him. There is also an emphasis on the mirror behind the two which reveals the woman’s idealized world outside the parlor that is filled with light and forgiveness for her sins. The size of the woman also adds to her emphasis. Because the man is sitting down and is laying back in his chair, he appears smaller in comparison to the woman almost standing. Both of their bodies take up a majority of canvas space, making that portion of the painting more important to the rest. They are both in the foreground with nothing blocking their way, which allows for a spectator to see them first before anything else. A great amount of focus is put onto the woman’s left hand, which is clutched in her right, which appears to be without a ring, aiding a person in assuming she is the man’s mistress. In Ophelia, the emphasis is also placed on those things with a lighter color, as the natural light from the sun appears dim. Ophelia’s skin and dress are much lighter in comparison to the rich blue water and greenery that engulfs them. This draws people to observe her facial expression as she is beginning to sink into the water and drown. The background, especially the top left corner is put into a subordinate position, as there is little to nothing occurring in that space, whereas in the top right corner there are at least some white flowers to draw in the eyes of onlookers. The emphasis in both of these artworks is essential in revealing the hidden and not so hidden meanings of the pieces.
The historical period in which both of these paintings were made was in the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. Both Hunt and Millais were famous members of this brotherhood who opposed the Royal Academy’s promotion of Raphael, a Renaissance master. They disliked the narrow range of idealized or moral subjects offered by the academy, as well as the conventional definitions of beauty that was sought by its members. They also revolted against genre paintings which were very prevalent during that time. Members of this brotherhood preferred art and human form in their most natural state. Although their initial themes were those of religion, they also dabbled in subjects of love and death in poetry and literature, as seen in both of the provided artworks. They also enjoyed exploring modern social problems, such as infidelity as seen in The Awakening Conscience. The members of this brotherhood sought to express a new moral seriousness and sincerity in their works. Ophelia is a single scene from the well-known Shakespearean play Hamlet and was painted in a way that was not idealized but served to tell the story of tragic love. Millais does this by remaining true to the realistic aspect of his brotherhood’s paintings, but by still making the scene simultaneously romantic and dramatic. The Awakening Conscience deals with a mistress and her lover, and the mistress discovers spiritual enlightenment during their encounter. This particular painting almost serves as a moral lesson to those who wish to change their ways like the woman does, and offers the notion that redemption is possible to anyone. There is only a slight degree of idealization in this work, but other than that, it sticks to the typical Pre-Raphaelite brotherhood ways of capturing a moment in its most natural form. In The Awakening Conscience, Hunt subtly challenges the basic tenents of Victorian morality by portraying an unmarried woman in the arms of a man. He provides a controversial insight into prostitution in England at this time.
As stated in the thesis, the main contrasting element between Ophelia and The Awakening Conscience is that of their content. Both are narrative arts that tell the story of those within the painting, but the meanings hidden behind them are very different. Ophelia revolves around the heartbreak and downfall of Shakespeare’s heroine Lady Ophelia, as well as her suicide after discovering that her lover Hamlet killed her father. The scene shown is Ophelia allowing herself to drown in the stream after picking flowers. The contrasting artwork, The Awakening Conscience, shows a young woman and man together inside what appears to be a parlor room. The woman is assumed to be the man’s mistress due to the absence of a wedding ring on her left hand. As stated by the title of the work, the scene revolves around the awakening of this young woman’s conscience after some time as the man’s mistress. She appears to be gazing outside the open window to a world full of light and forgiveness, while the man attempts to keep her with him. The message behind this artwork is more of a moral one, unlike Ophelia who’s message is centered around tragic love. In both of these paintings, critics constantly wanted to view them as equals in both theme and content by focusing more on the sensual aspects of both of them. They failed to see the moral message hidden behind Awakening and the tragic heartbreak of Ophelia, and how the artists were able to portray these messages through their agenda as a brotherhood.
Either way, both Hunt and Millais were able to weave two incredible stories into their artworks through more natural approaches to their painting and unconventional means of beauty.
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