Joseph Interprets Pharaoh's Dream 1902

James Tissot rendered this illustration, Joseph Interprets Pharaoh's Dream, with watercolor over graphite. There is something so subtle in Tissot’s application of colour here; the careful layering of soft washes, the dry brushwork which gives the piece its sandy texture. You can almost feel the heat shimmering off the walls. And I love how the muted palette is punctuated by flashes of vibrant blue in the Pharaoh's headdress and jewelry. The figures, caught in this moment of attentive listening, are constructed with careful cross hatching and stippling, which builds to a subtle sense of volume and depth. It reminds me of the work of other history painters like Gerome, but with a lighter, more immediate touch. There’s something so evocative about the way Tissot uses watercolor to capture not just the scene, but also the mood. The work invites us to contemplate our own interpretations and understand that art, like dreams, is open to multiple meanings.