Elizabeth Eleanor Siddal (Siddal Post #3)

John Everett Millais. Ophelia. 1852. Oil on canvas. 762 x 1118 mm. Tate Brtitain, London. Art, Archaeology and Architecture (Erich Lessing Culture and Fine Arts Archives).

Siddal also modeled for Millais’s Ophelia. After posing as Ophelia in a basin of tepid water during the chilly winter months, her health deteriorated, and illness plagued her for the rest of her short life (Elizabeth).

In this painting Siddal is portrayed in death, yet she is still beautiful. The viewer is immediately drawn to her face as her porcelain skin contrasts with the dark water that flows around her form. If her eyes were shut (and we didn’t see the rest of her body), the expression on her face gives off the appearance that she is peacefully sleeping.

Millais has kept Siddal’s familiar red hair, however it is toned down in this painting. I believe he wanted the emphasis to be on her deathly pale skin. By blending her hair into the shadows of the water, it also adds a touch of soberness and reinforces the reality that she is no longer alive. Continuing on this note, her dress is also very pale, and the only color comes from what still has life, which are the plants.

After learning more about Siddal and her early death, this painting is fitting for her actual life. There is a beauty to Ophelia and the viewer feels sadness that her life was cut short, paralleling the abrupt death of Siddal, who I believe had much art and poetry left to produce.  If anyone else has anything to add, please feel free to do so!  I would love to get individual reactions and extra knowledge from my readers!

Works Cited

“Elizabeth Eleanor Siddal (1834-1862)”. The Victorian Web. 16 Sep. 2006. Web. 4 Mar. 2013. http://www.victorianweb.org/painting/siddal/index.html

“Rosetti’s Other Woman: The Silent Contribution of Models and Muses.” Blue-Stocking. Web. 5 Mar. 2013. http://blue-stocking.org.uk/2011/03/01/rosetti’s-other-woman-the-silent-contribution-of-models-and-muses/