Petrarch and Laura at Avignon 1919

Eleanor Fortescue-Brickdale made this watercolour, Petrarch and Laura at Avignon, using a light touch, letting the paper breathe. It’s all about suggestion, really. Look at how she builds the scene with these transparent washes of muted blues, browns and creams. It’s as if the colours have been gently coaxed onto the page. The details of the figures – their garments, their faces – are softly defined, but it’s in the rendering of the architecture, that Brickdale really shines. See how the shadows play across the stone facade, imbuing it with a real sense of depth and texture. And those columns flanking the doorway, adorned with statues. They’re so present. The whole piece evokes a kind of dreaminess, a world steeped in history. You can almost see the influence of the Pre-Raphaelites. But Brickdale’s light, fluid touch sets her apart. This isn’t about hyper-realism or moralizing, but feeling. It’s about capturing a mood, a moment in time, and letting the viewer fill in the blanks.