The website Alizée Reflections...did you know...
The picture on the right...
Painted in 1900 by John Waterhouse....The name of the painting...'Destiny'
It has been there for a while and the author has it there for a reason...
So now we know...well...at least a little more then we started with today if not...the rest of the story
Alizee Lyonnet
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Monday, November 30, 2009
Alizée Reflections...the rest of the story
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3 comments:
I have had for a long time a poster of La Belle Dame Sans Merci (by Keats), and used it as my Alizée Forum avatar. When Psychédélices came along I thought about a few new images to revamp my website introduction, and started looking at other Pre-Raphaelites' work. I found this 'Destiny' painting just irresistible, so much so that it became my AF avatar together with the chorus of Zero7's Destiny in my signature. It's overflowing with hints of themes related to La Belle Dame Sans Soucis :)
1.Who or what is making her pause for reflection? (How many pensive poses have we seen over the years, that faraway look... ).
2.What's in the drinking bowl - simply refreshment, perhaps after a journey overseas? Or something more melancholy or dramatic - is it "another way out"? A final act of despair or defiance? Has she already sipped some "potion" from the bowl and awaits a certain outcome - is that a book of spells open on the lectern? Perhaps the mirror is another magical device: "Dare to stare in the mirror and your true destiny will be revealed... "
(Another Waterhouse painting is The Crystal Ball... and it seems to be the same model, so he too found his muse and wanted no other... ).
3.The globe reflected in the round, flat mirror - voyages around a world she can only dream of? Has she always lived by the sea?
4.The ships - are they taking someone away from her, or is she leaving soon on a voyage, or has she just arrived in a new land for a new life? Is where she is now a gilded cage, prison or paradise?
Even the title 'Destiny' is gloriously ambiguous - is this a moment of "no turning back": she looks calm, but is she willingly leaving an old life behind her, or has luck or opportunity revealed a new life she has to face - or chooses not to? Here she is in her own world, whether good or bad... and as we appear to be on the same terrace in that world with her, who are we, what have we done to be sharing this moment... enemies or friends, nous sommes diaboliques ou divins ?
Painted in 1900 - une enfant d'un autre siècle... :).
PS - love the blog, so many ideas and streams of thought exploring her world with our limited access but unlimited imagination!
Just a small but important correction I need to make to the above post: the poster I have of La Belle Dame Sans Merci which is inspired by the poetry of Keats, is this one by Sir Frank Dicksee:
http://www.illusionsgallery.com/LaBelleDame-Dicksee.html
Sometimes I type faster than I think... :)
I am tortured today...with only minutes to spare at this time...it will inspire me to return a quickly as possibly so may spend some time on your latest comment.
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