Lorenzo and Isabella by Sir John Everett MillaisGuildhall Art Gallery & London's Roman Amphitheatre
Don’t you sense a tense atmosphere in this tableful of people? Sidelong glances, concerned looks. It seems that something terrible is about to happen... and it is indeed.
Millais tells us a story of bygone days in Pre-Raphaelite style, carrying us into medieval Florence with a narration rich in details and symbolic references…
A hawk clasps a dove’s feather. An image of violence and abuse of power alluding to a tragic event.
Just like the cracked walnuts on the table…
…or the spilt salt, an evil omen.
Where is this misfortune heading This man’s look is the answer - apparently focused on the wine...
...he’s staring instead at the young lovers. This is the doomed love story of Isabella – a wealthy merchants’ sister – and Lorenzo – their humble apprentice. It's adapted from a poem by John Keats which was inspired by Boccaccio's Decameron.
The girl’s brothers have found out everything and they’re not pleased at all! The brothers’ brutality is expressed by one of their faces: as uncouth and cruel as his nature.
The blood orange, offered by Lorenzo to his lover, brings together the tragic tale: the red color is both a symbol of passion and of the blood which is going to be shed. At the end of the meal, the beastly brothers will kill the young boy accomplishing a foreseen tragedy.
Text and sounds by eArs ▬ making arts & culture a place for everybody
