Richard Dadd - Contradiction Oberon and Titania - 1854-1858
In this painting, there is no forbidding gesture, just the two principals standing in a tense stand-off, focussing intently on each other. Oberon grips a long spear and is held or held back by Puck, whom he addresses after Titania's exit. Puck, typically, seems to be enjoying the whole spectacle. Another fairy-creature holds up Oberon's train, and a figure looms behind this attendant, with a loose robe and a bow, his eyes also bent on Titania (could it be her lover, Theseus? He has evidently been hunting: a bird dangles from his free hand). Titania, her wand as long as Oberon's spear, but tipped by a star, has a goblin-like attendant of her own to hold up her train. Behind her stands the youth himself, holding a lyre. He can identified by the crown of flowers, which Oberon has complained about, but his companion's identity is unclear. Perhaps she is watching over him for Titania. She too holds a wand, and her hand is on the youth's shoulder, as if she is protecting him. Titania's anger is reflected in the fact that, unknowingly it seems, she is crushing a tiny fairy underfoot. The little creature's head and arms, one outflung, can only be seen on close inspection. A butterfly or moth on a greyish brown lily-pad dominates the centre foreground, with a fairy to its left, flying towards a scene of war. The background to the confrontation is packed with details that challenge perception and even comprehension. Behind Titania and Oberon, on a decorated deck, is a satyr surrounded with revellers. Two stems of white bell-flowers emphasize each side of the oval, and blue morning glories (or similar), and other flowers, appear among and around the figures, together with meticulously painted toadstools, pinecones and fallen leaves. Structurally important is the large green decorative hanging egg that so brilliantly counters the oval shape of the composition as a whole. Victorian Web
Size: 3200px × 2522px
Photo credit: © steeve-x-art / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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