Spring (Apple Blossoms) by John Everett Millais (Interpretation and Analysis)

Spring of Apple Blossoms
Source: Wikimedia Commons

Today is the first day of spring! To celebrate the changing of the seasons, I wanted to share a painting that represents the season of spring. 

Spring or Apple Blossoms was created by British artist John Everett Millais at a time of transition in his own life. 

Millais is an extraordinary figure in the story of British art. Throughout his long career, he enjoyed a level of fame, public recognition, and commercial success that was almost unprecedented among professional artists. Millais was one of the leading painters of the Pre-Raphaelite movement, a group of  painters who rejected “trivial” scenes of everyday life, preferring to focus on subjects that were rich in symbolism, including religious, mythological, literary, and historical scenes. 

However, when Millais painted Spring, he was starting to move away from his Pre-Raphaelite roots. In 1855, Millais married Effie Gray* (the well-known ex-wife of art critic John Ruskin) and moved to Scotland to be closer to his wife’s family. This change in his family life seems to have inspired a change in his artistic style, and after his move to Scotland it is possible to see a move away from Pre-Raphaelite principles. In the 1850s and 1860s, Millais began to draw inspiration from old masters like Velázquez and Rembrandt, while also  embracing aspects of the “art for art's sake” philosophy that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century. Spring clearly pays homage to this emerging school of thought. 

As the title suggests, Spring celebrates the season of spring. The piece depicts a group of young women and girls having a picnic in an apple orchard. Millais’ sisters-in-law Sophie and Alice Gray were among the girls who modeled for the piece. (Sophie arranges her hair on the far left, while Alice looks out at the viewers while reclining on the far right.) 

On its face, the painting is a celebration of youth and beauty. Millais was particularly interested in portraying young women on the cusp of adulthood; the moment of transition and the promise of a new beginning as adults seemed to fascinate him (it was also a topic that was perennially interesting to many Victorian thinkers and artists). However, there is a slightly sinister undertone as well. A scythe rests against the wall behind Alice Gray, sending a clear message: even as new life blossoms, winter and death are assured. The painting captures a fleeting moment of beauty and youth, made all the more beautiful because it will soon fade.

Spring is often paired with Autumn Leaves, another masterpiece by Millais. The two paintings are stylistically similar and feature many of the same models. Taken together, the two paintings represent the cycle of life. Spring eventually becomes fall, even as death inevitably overcomes life. 

However, in the meantime, it’s important to enjoy the brief beauty of spring! I hope everyone will enjoy the spring that we are welcoming today. 

*Note: If you’re interested in Millais’ personal and professional life as well as his relationship with Effie Gray, I recommend reading Effie by Suzanne Fagence Cooper.