Hope

Image credit: Tate

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Notes

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The picture is one of a series of allegorical subjects which Watts intended for a decorative scheme known as the 'House of Life'. Traditionally the figure of Hope is identified by an anchor, but Watts was seeking a fresher, more original approach. He painted blind Hope seated on a globe and playing on a lyre which has all its strings broken except one. She bends her head to listen to the faint music, but her efforts appear forlorn; the overall atmosphere is one of sadness and desolation rather than hope. The picture's sense of melancholy is enhanced by the soft brushwork and the translucent mists that envelop the floating globe. Watts appears to have drawn on several contemporary sources for the figure of Hope. Her pose is comparable to Rossetti's siren in 'A Sea Spell' of 1877 (Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University) and also recalls Albert Moore's sleeping women in 'Dreamers', 1882 (Birmingham City Museum and Art Gallery).

Tate Britain

London

Title

Hope

Date

1886

Medium

Oil on canvas

Measurements

H 142.2 x W 111.8 cm

Accession number

N01640

Acquisition method

gift from the artist, 1897

Work type

Painting

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Tate Britain

Millbank, London, Greater London SW1P 4RG England

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