Stephanie Rosicki Blog Post 2

 The Language of Flower Symbolism in Pre-Raphaelite Painting

The Pre-Raphaelite interest of painting “en plein air”, or directly from nature, can be seen from their hyper detailed style of artwork. Many Pre-Raphaelite works were painted outside, allowing the artist to capture every minute detail in each flower, tree, leaf, or water source of the scene, before painting their subjects in. One example of a painting done in this hyper detailed style is John Everett Millais Ophelia (1851-1852). It is evident that a great amount of time was spent outside capturing every detail, from the flowers in the foreground to the tiniest leaves in the background. During the Victorian era, artists included flowers in their works not only as a decorative touch, but as symbolism contributing to the intended meaning of the painting. In Victorian England, flower symbolism was almost like a second language. Those that studied art would understand what each flower symbolized, allowing them to read further into the message the artist was trying to get across. In Ophelia, John Everett Millais included the flowers throughout the painting to enhance the natural setting, but also to add symbolic meaning. The red poppy, which floats by Ophelia’s hand, would be understood by the viewers of the Victorian era as a symbol for sleep and death. Additionally, the inclusion of willows with nettles growing in it, and the daisies by Ophelia’s hand would be understood as symbols of forsaken love, pain, and innocence.

In the chapter, “The Role of Women in De Morgan’s Later History Paintings” from the book Evelyn Pickering De Morgan and the Allegorical Body the author, Elise Lawton Smith, explains the symbolism behind the flowers painted in Evelyn Pickering De Morgan’s paintings. Regarding De Morgan’s painting Flora (1894), she states, “The pansies that decorate her dress were traditionally used to symbolize a contemplative state of remembrance, while the roses that she holds refer on one level to Ovid’s description of Flora, whose “lips breathed vernal roses,” but also, given overblown blossoms that have fallen to the ground to the ephemeral nature of earthly life” (Lawton Smith 91). This is only one example of many of De Morgan’s pieces that contain flower symbolism, as others are described in the chapter.

It is interesting that the viewers of Pre-Raphaelite paintings during the Victorian era would have already known what many of the flowers symbolized before seeing the piece, further enhancing their own reading of the painting. Today, if an ordinary person were to walk into a museum and happen upon one of these Pre-Raphaelite pieces, they would not have the same reception that someone from the Victorian era would have had. I find it interesting that many people today would not think twice about the type of flower the artist chose to include in the piece. Unless the viewers had previously studied Victorian art and had prior knowledge about the “language” of flower symbolism, the original intention the artist had for the painting would not be understood. 

Sources:

De Morgan, Evelyn. "Flora." The Kissed Mouth: Endless Digressions on Evelyn De Morgan. N.p., n.d.

  Web. 2 Dec. 2014. <http://fannycornforth.blogspot.com/2011/09/endless-digressions-on-evelyn- de-morgan.html>.

Everett Millais, John. "Ophelia." Pre-Raphaleite Sisterhood. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Dec. 2014. <http://preraphaelitesisterhood.com/ophelias-flowers/>.

Lawton Smith, Elise. The Role of Women in De Morgan's Later History Paintings. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.