Ophelia by the brook – Act IV, Scene VII, Hamlet 

Editor: Here we have "Ophelia by the brook – Act IV, Scene VII, Hamlet" by Edwin Austin Abbey, likely a painting on paper from around the turn of the 20th century. The scene feels… delicate, fragile even. Almost like a half-remembered dream. What does this scene evoke for you? Curator: Ah, yes, Ophelia. This rendering of Shakespeare's tragic figure is a wisp of a memory. Edwin Austin Abbey captures a moment of utter vulnerability. I’m struck by how he uses watercolour to suggest transience. The colors seem to bleed and weep into each other just like our tears! Doesn't the composition strike you as somewhat unbalanced, perhaps echoing her unstable mental state? Editor: I see what you mean – she's not quite centered. I guess that contributes to the sense of unease, that something is… off. I find myself drawn to the color palette – soft pastels juxtaposed with that stark, looming tree. What does that contrast signify to you? Curator: Exactly! The soft pastels lend a certain pre-Raphaelite prettiness – a dangerous beauty, masking the grim reality of her situation. The tree... well, that's her impending doom, isn't it? Solid, unyielding against the ethereal quality of Ophelia herself. Almost a looming, judgement. You know, it makes me think of our own attempts to grasp at beauty even amidst terrible sadness. Doesn't it? Editor: That’s a very powerful thought. It does kind of highlight that constant tension between beauty and tragedy. Curator: The entire scene becomes a haunting poem, doesn’t it? Abbey masterfully makes us feel the poignant dance between reality and oblivion in poor Ophelia’s world…and ours. Editor: Absolutely, and now, I definitely see more of Ophelia's fragile mental state. Thanks for that reading!