How They Met Themselves by Dante Gabriel Rossetti (Interpretation and Analysis)

-
How They Met Themselves
Source: Wikimedia Commons
Freud’s theory of the uncanny explains the aversion or fear that humans experience when they encounter something that is familiar, yet somehow eerie. A familiar thing becoming unfamiliar produces deep anxiety and fear. Although I’m simplifying things quite a bit (I am in no way a psychologist), the basic idea is that the known produces more horror than the unknown.

Although Freud didn’t write about the uncanny until 1919, the idea behind his theory is on full display in Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s 1864 watercolor entitled How They Met Themselves.

Rossetti—who was one of the most prominent members of the Pre-Raphaelite movement—brings Medieval imagery and psychological drama to this fascinating painting. The piece depicts two lovers walking through the woods; the pair have just encountered identical versions of themselves, swathed in a phantasmagorical glow. The original couple stare at their doubles in mute horror.

The idea of the doppelgänger (which is basically a double of the self that is not the self) was a major theme of horror in the nineteenth century. The idea of encountering a double is—and remains—a major source of psychological distress for many people. Traditionally, seeing a doppelgänger is understood to be a sign of impending death, giving How They Met Themselves an even more ominous tone.

Clearly, Rossetti was obsessed with this idea of malevolent doubles, returning to it several times throughout the mid-nineteenth century. In fact, he produced the first version of How They Met Themselves when he was just twenty-three years old. Several art historians have also noted that the two figures in the painting seem to be modeled on Rossetti and his wife, Elizabeth Siddal. These portraits had an extra layer of doubling; the painted figures forming doppelgängers with the living couple.

Rossetti’s reasons for producing this painting are unclear, but what is clear is that he was fueled by spooky motives known only to himself. A sense of profound psychological gloom pervades the painting, making it a truly frightening masterpiece.

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.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Le Chat Aux Poissons Rouges by Henri Matisse (Interpretation and Analysis)

-
Image
Le Chat Aux Poissons Rouges Source: Pinterest French artist Henri Matisse is rather famous for his paintings of goldfish. In fact, one of his most famous paintings, entitled Goldfish , depicts several of the aforementioned fish swimming in a bowl. Matisse is one of the most famous artists of the twentieth century. His work is closely associated with the Fauvist movement and is generally characterized by great energy and rich, intense colors. Based on my research , Matisse began painting goldfish after he traveled to North Africa. In Morocco, Matisse observed locals watching goldfish swim in their bowls as they sunk into a meditative state. The fish subsequently became a symbol for this sense of tranquility, coming to represent an idyllic version of the world only accessible through joyous day-dreams. These calming fish are prominent in this painting, which is entitled Le Chat Aux Poissons Rouges (which translates to The Cat With Red Fishes ). However, the serene energy of the f...
Read more

Mural La Plena by Rafael Tufiño (Interpretation and Analysis)

-
Image
Mural la Plena Source: Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico Today I want to chat about a monumental piece of art that I recently had the pleasure of seeing at the Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico. As the name suggests, Mural La Plena is a massive mural, fifteen by thirty feet in size, that was created by Puerto Rican artist Rafael Tufiño to commemorate la plena, a wildly popular genre of music that was born in the city of Ponce around 1900. The mural, which might appear abstract or incomprehensible to a viewer unfamiliar with the subject matter, illustrates the lyrics of popular plena songs. For example, the blue-green figure that dominates the upper half of the mural represents the hurricane from the plena “Temporal,” which mourns the destruction caused by a storm. Plena, as a genre, tells stories. According to my research , the lyrics come from current events, re-telling the stories that affected the lives of the people of Ponce. It began as a way for people of low socio-economic sta...
Read more

Five Puerto Rican Artists You Should Know

-
Image
The island of Puerto Rico has a long and vibrant artistic tradition. Western, Indigenous, and African cultures have all left their mark on Puerto Rican art, creating a colorful and unique visual legacy. While Puerto Rican artists have demonstrated their excellence throughout the years— from the creators of the captivating Taino petroglyphs to the sophisticated and subtle works of the Modernist painters—Puerto Rican art has received little attention from art historians and the wider art world. Here are five underappreciated Puerto Rican artists that you should know: 1. José Campeche José Campeche is often known as the first Puerto Rican painter in the Western history of fine arts. He was primarily known for his religious paintings and his portraits of elite Puerto Ricans, and today his work is recognized as some of the finest examples of Rococo art produced in the Americas. Campeche’s personal story is also inspiring. The son of a slave who had purchased his own freedom, Campech...
Read more