A Sea-Spell 1875 - 1877

Curator: Rossetti's "A Sea-Spell," now at the Harvard Art Museums, presents a siren amidst lush foliage. It feels almost suffocatingly beautiful, doesn't it? Editor: Indeed, the intensity of the colour and the tight composition are quite striking. Rossetti’s use of colour, especially the predominance of gold, creates a dreamlike atmosphere. Curator: The Pre-Raphaelites were certainly interested in mythologizing women, turning them into aesthetic objects, but this also intersected with emerging feminist ideas about female agency. Editor: Perhaps. Still, I can't ignore how the rendering of the figure, especially the elongated neck and flowing dress, is a clear exercise in idealized beauty, recalling classical sculpture. Curator: I see your point. It’s a dialogue between the social role of women and the pure visual experience of aesthetic beauty. Editor: An aesthetic experience, certainly. I find myself drawn to the interplay between line and form in this piece; it is a testament to Rossetti's mastery.