A Wood Sprite 1885

Editor: This drawing, "A Wood Sprite" by Edward Burne-Jones, shows a figure gazing upward. The composition feels both vulnerable and defiant. What do you see in this piece, considering its historical context? Curator: The ethereal quality speaks to Burne-Jones's Pre-Raphaelite ideals, but I'm struck by the model's gaze. It evokes a longing, perhaps a yearning for social change. How might we interpret this figure's pose in relation to Victorian-era constraints on the body? Editor: That’s fascinating. I hadn’t thought of it as a critique of societal constraints. Curator: It invites us to consider the intersection of mythology, representation, and the body, and perhaps reimagine our relationship to nature and freedom. Editor: I see it now, thank you!