Autumn Leaves by John Everett Millais (Interpretation and Analysis)

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Autumn Leaves
Source: Art UK
We’re well into the fall season now, so today I’m celebrating the autumnal colors of changing leaves. To do that, I want to share a masterpiece by Pre-Raphaelite painter John Everett Millais. Like all Pre-Raphaelites Millais was inspired by a desire to create serious and realistic art that was also pleasing to the eye, and Autumn Leaves is no exception.

The piece depicts four young girls piling dry leaves in a heap while fire smoke drifts into the scene from the left, suggesting that the girls might plan to burn the leaves. When I was little, kids liked to jump in piles of leaves, but the girls in Millais’ painting have nothing so frivolous in mind.

Instead, the young women are unusually serious, gazing at the viewer with deep solemnity while creating their leaf pyramid. Autumn is usually associated with middle age and approaching death, so the contrast of the dead leaves and the youth of the girls is particularly striking. The gathering darkness in the background sky adds another layer of ominous energy.

There is something dark and foreboding in this seemingly innocent scene. The changing of seasons conjures strange and powerful energy. Whilst reading about this painting, I encountered a passage that describes this aspect of the piece: “Every October harvest festivals are held in churches. Congregations gather a bounty of produce to give thanks. In parallel, Millais paints an earthy pagan version of the yearly ritual, with his leafy altar. Millais intended the picture not to have a narrative, but ‘to awaken by its solemnity the deepest religious reflection.”

I don’t know if the painting awakens religious reflection, but it is certainly a spiritual piece. The four girls are reminiscent of the fates of Greek myth, who foresaw the future of every human being. The painting engenders contemplation of life and death, and the cycle of growing followed by destruction.

Disclaimer: I’m not an art historian or an expert on this topic. The above is my opinion, based on my interpretation of my foreknowledge of art and history. If I’ve done any additional research, I’ll note it above.

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