Love in Art

Susan here – thinking about how artworks can express and evoke romance in much the same way as a book or a movie. Paintings, drawings, sculpture, and more can convey a sense of love, passion, devotion, attraction--and we can take that in and understand it in the blink of an eye.

The power of the visual is strong, immediate, intuitive. Images are shortcuts to our mental and emotional response, and we can connect instantly. If the subject is romantic, we get it immediately. Here are some of my favorite examples!    

King Tutankhamun and his queen, Ankhesenamon, shown on the back of a golden chair found in Tut’s tomb. 18th dynasty. This shows the tenderness and affection between the teenage king and his young half-sister/wife – a sense of emotional intimacy that appears elsewhere in Egyptian art (particularly of this period).

Codex Manesse, German, 14th century - medieval imagery of lovers is often stiff and unnatural, but this little image has a sweet joy and a flirting embrace that is very genuine.

The Arnolfini Portrait, Jan Van Eyck, 1434, National Gallery, London. An enigmatic double portrait of a possible marriage between (tentatively identified) the Bruges merchant Giovanni Arnolfini and his wife (her right hand in his left, the artist’s signature and image in the mirror on the back wall make this a possible legal document; other symbolic representations refer to marriage, loyalty, fertility and so on). Arnolfini was once described by a scholar as “a cold fish,” yet there’s a certain vulnerability and shyness in both groom and bride that is endlessly fascinating, and – even if one just absorbs the exquisite beauty of this little painting– it has a romantic, what-will-happen-to-them sense that captures our curiosity. There is a theory that this is perhaps a memorial portrait of a wife who had died - making this portrait even more romantic and poignant - and certainly less cold than some suggest. 

Rembrandt, The Jewish Bride 1667, Rijksmuseum. The subjects of this picture are unknown - perhaps Old Testament figures, which Rembrandt painted often - or perhaps another couple. Whoever they are, the painting of these two is exquisite, rich with a real yet understated emotional content that seems lasting and powerful. There is such love in this painting, from the quiet, protective gestures to the warm lighting—even the build-up of paint on the surface adds layers of golden richness that deepen the emotional content.

Pierre-Auguste Cot, The Storm, 1880, The Metropolitan Museum, NYC. In college, this was the poster I taped on my wall--the young lovers fleeing a storm or some unseen enemy, all gorgeous passion, swirling energy, devotion and the mystery of romance.  

Frederick Burton, The Meeting on the Turret Stair, Museum of Ireland, 1864. Poignant and powerful, the last meeting of a couple doomed to be apart--the last touch as they pass each other to be forever separated. The polished realism, the vivid color, the solid figures and the spiral of their bodies all work together to give this image its emotional power. 

The Painter's Honeymoon, Lord Fredric Leighton, 1864, Boston MFA. This picture so beautifully conveys a moment of devoted, contented new love -- light, textures, the contrast of hard and soft, light and dark, all contribute to the strength and quiet beauty of the image. And those clasped hands, just lovely. 

The Order of Release 1746, Sir John Everett Millais, 1852, The Tate. The Highland wife in this exquisite painting is the very image of strength in love, accepting her Highland husband from English custody. Her control and determination here stirring and beautiful. Another love story is related to this painting, as the model was Effie Ruskin, the wife of John Ruskin. She fell in love with the painter when the Ruskins traveled with Millais on a trip to Scotland; two years later, when her marriage to Ruskin had ended, they married.

So there you go, some of my favorite romantic paintings. Please share your favorite images too!

Susan    

Comments

[Mary Jo Putney]

Oooh, Susan, gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous! Just looking at those makes me want to write a romance! (Oh, yeah, that's what I'm supposed to be doing....)

[Karin]

The one at the very top, with the couple kissing, with the woman wearing a blue dress, is very romantic also.

[Mary T]

I have always favored the painting of the lovers fleeing the storm, and the Painter's Honeymoon is charming. However, the last painting shown, The Order of Release 1746, is so touching it brought tears to my eyes.

[Annette N]

Thank you for each of these - the parting on the turret stair breaks my heart.

[Teresa Broderick]

Beautiful but the one that spoke to me is the couple on the turret stairs. Wonderful!

[Sue McCormick]

All of this art is wonderful. I knew of some of the painters and of some of the paintings, but except for the van Eyck, and never before place art and artist together. Gives me lots of new art to explore.

And the love is apparent in all the art.

[Kareni]

What a lovely post, Susan. Thanks so much for sharing those wonderful paintings.

[Michelle H]

Ah, this was so lovely. Exquisite. Beautiful choices, Susan thank you so much. I have seen a few of these before, but love looking at them again and again. But the ones I hadn't seen yet were fascinating, poignant beyond words. I looked at each one enlarged for which I am grateful. The last one, like another mentioned, choked me up. But all were moving in their own right. This is the first time I really studied the Van Eyck, not really caring for it before, somehow this time it spoke to me differently and I appreciate it far more now. This is giving me museum withdrawal in the extreme. Oh my, thank you again, thank you.

[Michelle H]

If I could post an image I would do so. This Edward Hopper has been a favorite of mine since I was a young teen visiting the museum in our city with a school group. https://sheldonartmuseum.org/work/hopper-room

I went back by myself many a time to look at it again. We heard a docent explain to another school group in a different city during a traveling exhibit several years ago that it bespoke loneliness. My husband and I just looked at each other with our mouths open. What!? We've had a framed print of this in our home for decades. It doesn't depict loneliness to us. But there's no kiss or embrace. The couple are not gazing into each other's eyes or holding hands. But I still think it depicts a togetherness, a little haven of quiet domesticity away from a noisy busy world. Painted over eight decades ago, it's still modern. Maybe more so now.

[Denise Morris]

Really liked this post, they are all so beautiful. The detail in the Van Eyck is just wonderful, loved the dog and the pattens.

[Jeanne Behnke]

Thanks for that picture Michelle H. I can see the loneliness thing but I agree with your interpretation. That's what I felt when I clicked on the picture.

Susan - All the pictures in the blog are favorites of mine.