Mime writhes under the lashes he receives 1910

Curator: We're looking at "Mime writhes under the lashes he receives," a watercolour illustration executed around 1910 by Arthur Rackham. The effect is rather stark, don't you think? Editor: Stark indeed. Immediately, I’m struck by the abject terror and misery. The swirling lines above the figure seem to embody mental anguish or perhaps some kind of psychological torment, quite disturbing. Curator: It's interesting that you interpret those swirls as purely psychological. Considering Rackham's penchant for fantastical settings, couldn't they also represent tangible, even physically imposed suffering? We know the piece involves lashes... and, perhaps, something more? It appears the work has underpainting with some ink painting and some light pencil work and watercolour. Editor: The lashes, right, but the figure seems dwarfed. Think about the semiotics of smallness; the exaggerated emotion amplifies vulnerability. The very ground beneath the figure is unsteady. He clutches his head as the lashes deliver an unbearable reality. Curator: Good point. And I notice his garments look threadbare, the shackles lie discarded suggesting an attempt at freedom met with futility. How does this contribute to Rackham's world-building, would you say? Editor: The broken shackles definitely add a layer of false hope. Rackham masterfully uses established imagery: the broken shackle, an invitation to question power. His clothing appears almost as part of his skin; as if a uniform which represents shame and degradation of his character. Curator: Considering Rackham's prominence during the Golden Age of Illustration, and his market at that time, are we overlooking the role consumption of art like this played? Does it offer more than meets the eye, something more complex perhaps about the state of industry and labor? Editor: It makes one think of cultural cycles of punishment and societal pressures. Maybe Rackham’s piece becomes a canvas of archetypal scapegoating that is applicable across generations. Curator: Ultimately, what lingers for me is Rackham's decision to illustrate profound pain. How he managed to wring such raw emotion with pencil and ink on a page. Editor: And for me, the enduring resonance of symbols depicting the consequences when a society, any society, inflicts rather than understands suffering.