Mélancolie 1876

Editor: Here we have "Mélancolie", painted in 1876 by Alfred Stevens, rendered in oil. There’s a palpable stillness about the painting, isn’t there? The figure, lost in thought, creates a very contemplative mood for me. What’s your initial interpretation of this piece? Curator: Ah, yes, “Mélancolie”. A symphony of interiority, wouldn't you say? I think Stevens has captured a very specific mood, almost like a visual poem about longing. It's as if the room itself is holding its breath with her. Notice how the vibrant wallpaper almost clashes with her subdued expression. Makes you wonder what she’s looking at out that window – or more precisely, what she’s seeing beyond it, wouldn’t you agree? Editor: That contrast between the lively wallpaper and the woman's melancholic pose hadn’t struck me before. What could Stevens be saying with this juxtaposition? Curator: Well, perhaps Stevens is playing with the notion of confinement versus freedom. She's trapped, perhaps by societal expectations, by the very finery of her dress – it is incredibly gorgeous, a prison of silk and ruffles. And yet, she yearns for something beyond those gilded bars, doesn’t she? Also, is it a blossom or an handkerchief in her fingers? Makes me think she perhaps just dabbed at an escaping tear? Don’t you think that detail adds a delicious layer of complexity? Editor: Yes! And there’s that small detail of what looks like an opened book casually laying there too. Is she waiting? Hoping for a lover? A message? A rendezvous? Curator: Exactly! The unanswered questions! Isn’t it precisely there the beauty lies? To each one of us looking at her the freedom of finding the answers... or more of our own questions! It is all poetry and unresolved possibilities, I feel... Editor: I totally get your point; the poem within a painting! Thank you; this was super enlightening! Curator: And thank *you*! Made me realize this mistress also looks a tad like… myself! I can see a twin… or maybe I just imagined it.