Monday, November 26, 2012

James Christensen "Once Upon a Time"

Today at the library I stumbled onto a Pre-Raphaelite in an unexpected place.  A book came across my desk to fill a hold that intrigued me.  It was about the artist James Christensen, someone whose work I had seen in passing but knew little about.  And as I flipped through the book, I was started to see a familiar face in one of the first images.




There she is, unmistakably, the Lady of Shalott as rendered by Waterhouse, complete with her gold and white checkered arm band and simple silver circlet in her hair.  The idea of her keeping company with this motley group of whimsical characters brought a delighted tickle to my imagination..  The artwork is entitled "Once Upon a Time."

Edited to add:  I was so engrossed in discovering the Lady in this artwork, I totally missed another homage.  Guarding the fair maiden of Shalott is a knight whose visage appears repeatedly in my dear Neddy's art.  Edward Burne-Jones loved to paint this deliciously dark blue-black gothic armor with red sashes.



I just love the idea of a Burne-Jones knight standing guard behind a Waterhouse Lady of Shalott. 

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

I LOVE IT!!!

jodyhelmeday said...

Oh, what a beautiful and awesome find!

Grace said...

I saw at least one more reference in his art...The Bridesmaid occurs in another piece. How fun!

DhaNyeLa said...

hey Grace , is there any way i can contact you ? i think i need your help

Grace said...

How can I help you, DhaNyeLa?

kathutet said...

I have this painting in puzzle form and it's been hanging on my wall for 20 years love this painting so much

kathutet said...

I have this painting in puzzle form and it's been hanging on my wall for 20 years love this painting so much