La Belle Dame Sans Merci
Mar 1, 2023 16:47:40 #
My take on this title that was very popular with artists in the days of Romanticism and the Pre-Raphaelites. "The beautiful lady without pity" has dumped the poor knight that she's been leading-on, and he's a trifle miffed.
The title (and general story) comes from a Keats poem.
I'm guessing most will find the image a bit on the dark side but that's what I set out to create as I wanted to try the technique I used in another recent post titled The Seer. It proved a bit of a nightmare! If I cannot find a way of making it more controllable I'll forget it. Meanwhile your critique would be welcome if you have the time.
The title (and general story) comes from a Keats poem.
I'm guessing most will find the image a bit on the dark side but that's what I set out to create as I wanted to try the technique I used in another recent post titled The Seer. It proved a bit of a nightmare! If I cannot find a way of making it more controllable I'll forget it. Meanwhile your critique would be welcome if you have the time.
Mar 1, 2023 16:56:53 #
Dark, moody, brooding, fascinating, unique - utterly engaging!!
Mar 1, 2023 16:57:11 #
magnetoman wrote:
My take on this title that was very popular with a... (show quote)
Absolutely gorgeous composition. I love the overall darkness of the image.
Mar 1, 2023 17:51:35 #
Mar 1, 2023 17:56:08 #
Linda From Maine wrote:
Dark, moody, brooding, fascinating, unique - utterly engaging!!
Wow, thank you Linda! I thought you’d find it too dark.
Mar 1, 2023 17:57:36 #
rgrenaderphoto wrote:
Absolutely gorgeous composition. I love the overall darkness of the image.
That’s very kind of you, thanks rgrenaderphoto!
Mar 1, 2023 17:58:07 #
Mar 1, 2023 18:42:37 #
magnetoman wrote:
Only in the sense it's hard to view on my computer. But I'm in a bright room, so maybe tomorrow when the cat gets me up at 0400, I will be able to see more Wow, thank you Linda! I thought you’d find it too dark.
But the darkness of your creation is absolutely integral to the mood.
Mar 2, 2023 00:14:21 #
Linda From Maine wrote:
Only in the sense it's hard to view on my computer. But I'm in a bright room, so maybe tomorrow when the cat gets me up at 0400, I will be able to see more
But the darkness of your creation is absolutely integral to the mood.
But the darkness of your creation is absolutely integral to the mood.
Great being of a certain age isn’t it? I’m reading this at 0500 having already eaten breakfast!
Mar 2, 2023 03:27:08 #
According to our English teacher the belle dame was a vampire, which explained why paleness was a recurring theme. Going by that interpretation the image could have been a lot darker. On the other hand that could just have been our English teacher's interpretation (in retrospect, do you remember some of your teachers as being odder than you considered them to be at the time?).
Your first creation The Seer had a sinister and ugly main subject whereas this one includes the beautiful woman and the glamourous knight. It's inevitably going to be harder to create an atmosphere of darkness or sinisterness with such appealing elements as the subjects. Making the woman less beautiful and the knight less glamourous doesn't seem to be much of an option, although you could probably get away with giving the woman a less lovely kind of beauty. These things aside, the story is a great choice of subject.
Your first creation The Seer had a sinister and ugly main subject whereas this one includes the beautiful woman and the glamourous knight. It's inevitably going to be harder to create an atmosphere of darkness or sinisterness with such appealing elements as the subjects. Making the woman less beautiful and the knight less glamourous doesn't seem to be much of an option, although you could probably get away with giving the woman a less lovely kind of beauty. These things aside, the story is a great choice of subject.
Mar 2, 2023 03:52:35 #
R.G. wrote:
According to our English teacher the belle dame was a vampire, which explained why paleness was a recurring theme. Going by that interpretation the image could have been a lot darker. On the other hand that could just have been our English teacher's interpretation (in retrospect, do you remember some of your teachers as being odder than you considered them to be at the time?)…..
Your English teacher was a bit off kilt (excuse any Unintended pun RG). In the Keats poem she was Elfin in character and he thought he’d been whisked off to her Elfin den. He fell asleep and woke up on a cold hillside, abandoned, poor fellow. So, influenced by umpteen Victorian paintings along this theme, I set out with a lovely lady and a handsome fellow and I think I’ll stick with them. The darkness is to convey her deed and even lovely ladies can be bothersome at times, at least, in my experience!
Thanks for your thoughts on it all - and yes, some of my school teachers were beyond belief. The headmaster blamed the war!
Mar 2, 2023 05:12:35 #
magnetoman wrote:
Your English teacher was a bit off kilt (excuse an... (show quote)
Just for a laugh I googled "Vampire elf" (link) not expecting to get anything. Apparently it's a recognised "thing". And even if she wasn't a trad vampire she could have been a psychic vampire capable of draining the physical and psychic lifeforce out of you. Could all of those death-pale kings and princes have just been lovesick because of a bit of heartless rejection? I suspect something a bit more sinister myself.....
Mar 2, 2023 07:10:44 #
Once again a highly engaging composite. After reading your description of the end of the relationship between dame and knight, I got the opposite impression.
Mar 2, 2023 08:19:17 #
R.G. wrote:
Just for a laugh I googled url=https://www.google... (show quote)
Well I don’t think Keats was on the same track as yourself RG. His poem is thought to have sexual undertones and to be influenced by thoughts of his own impending death (aged32) and his attraction to the lady next door. Our knight simply faded away having been rejected by the love of his life (even if it hadn’t been a very long relationship). I’ll look into these vampire elves you’ve found, there could be a composite there somewhere!
Mar 2, 2023 08:20:59 #
NJFrank wrote:
Once again a highly engaging composite. After reading your description of the end of the relationship between dame and knight, I got the opposite impression.
So I’ll take that as a fail then Frank!🙄
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