Death and The Maidens 1872

Curator: Pierre Puvis de Chavannes' "Death and the Maidens", dating to 1872, offers a poignant meditation on mortality. The use of oil paint brings forth both dreamlike qualities and very solid symbolic characters. Editor: My first thought? Melancholy. A wistful tableau. There's this gentle light, like a fading sunset on the maidens, yet shadowed below. And is that... Death napping at their feet? It’s got that sleepy pre-Raphaelite vibe, but much sadder. Curator: It does present a compelling visual metaphor. Viewing it through a contemporary lens, one can’t help but contemplate the socio-political narratives. The women, seemingly untouched by the somber figure, can represent societal obliviousness towards impending issues and power imbalances, or resilience in face of the same. What are the systems they inhabit? What do they not know about them, that they perhaps should? Editor: Hmm, I see your point. Personally I'm wondering what Death is dreaming about. He looks so tired. The maidens floating away carefree remind me of a time I was running, light dresses are all the same to me - but I think he looks genuinely at peace with his scythe as a pillow! What is this piece saying about accepting all parts of being in the moment, of enjoying pleasure now, instead of agonizing over time itself? The muted colors contribute a wistful feeling - one knows winter is inevitable in this landscape - this life! Curator: It speaks, perhaps, to the historical construction of femininity as detached from grim realities, and a stark division between public and private realms, seen, in their gowns, with the subtle color coding of the palette Puvis de Chavannes favors. Note, too, the classical allusions juxtaposed with this dreamlike symbolism; Puvis often evokes the visual language of antiquity, reframing classical subjects within a modern sensibility. And perhaps a societal obliviousness of what labor allows them to dance. Editor: Yes, you are correct - labor supports even art that seeks to abstract life into dreamy visions. It also hints to me, with those sleepy eyes and all that grass around, of something in our own hearts as mortal beings that perhaps death, in time, accepts - even needs. Thank you. Curator: Thank you; contemplating Puvis' canvas is a fascinating process, providing different vantage points depending on where we stand now.