Literature has stirred the imagination of its readers and the visual minds of artists who transformed these written stories into compelling visual windows into those worlds. The reciprocal connection between art and literature can be observed throughout the centuries. Many famous paintings were inspired by great works of literature—some of them by beloved classics and some of them by relatively obscure narrations. Come along on this whistle-stop tour of some of the most famous paintings inspired by literary works!
Sir John Everett Millais "Ophelia"
Sir John Everett Millais' captivating painting of Ophelia is one of the undisputed masterpieces on display at the Tate Britain in London. Painted from 1851-52 by one of the most preeminent artists of the Pre-Raphaelite movement, Millais based his painting on a scene from William Shakespeare's tragedy 'Hamlet,' written between 1599 and 1601. At the time, this subject matter was very unusual. It shows the character of Ophelia serenely floating in a river surrounded by delicately rendered flowers. After he father had been murdered by her lover Hamlet, the king of Denmark, she was driven mad and fell into a stream, where she slowly drowned. Millais had studied Shakespeare's text very closely as he depicted Ophelia according to the text: her garments are spread widely, floating in the brook, her lips lightly open to sing her last song.
Millais created this painting in two locations. Initially, he painted the background in the English countryside. However, like all members of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, which was mainly interested in medieval and ancient subject matters, he wanted to study nature as closely as possible, and the detailed depiction of trees, flowers, and soil is an impressive testament to his artistic capabilities.
However, the figure of the floating Ophelia was painted in his study. To capture the difficult position of the floating body, he asked his model Elizabeth Siddal to pose in a bathtub filled with water and heated from underneath for four months.
Working with floral language, Millais struck a chord with his Victorian contemporaries. He added more plants to the ones already mentioned in Shakespeare's piece. Willow, nettle, pansies, and daisies symbolize the grief of unrequited love and the innocence and purity of Ophelia's affections. Millais also added the poppy, the flower of death, and the self-explanatory "forget-me-not." Ophelia's pose with open arms stood for her pure intentions and helplessness and was subsequently adopted by numerous artists.
Sir William Waterhouse "The Lady of Shalott"
Another example that impressively demonstrates the connection between art and literature is Sir William Waterhouse, another member of the Pre-Raphaelite movement. His painting of 'The Lady of Shalott', keeping 'Ophelia' company at the Tate Britain in London, was painted in 1888 and was inspired by the poem 'Lady of Shalott' written by Alfred Lord Tennyson and published in 1832. The poem is about a woman living high up in a tower on the island of Shalott. She is not allowed to look at the world around her directly with her own eyes but only through the reflection in a mirror. However, one day she sees the reflection of the handsome knight Lancelot and cannot resist looking at him directly. Her mirror breaks and the curse falls upon her. As she feels death grabbing her heart, she escapes from the tower and desperately tries to reach the knight in a boat. But in vain. She dies before she reaches him.
Waterhouse captured the moment when the maid lets go of the boat chain to float down the river. To the left, we can see the edge of the stone tower she has left to find the one she has fallen in love with. The artist based the beautiful river landscape on actual observations from nature while he painted this work in the open air.
Jean August Dominique Ingres "Oedipus and the Sphinx"
'Oedipus and the Sphinx' by the French painter Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres was inspired by the work of the ancient Greek poet Sophocles. Together with Aeschylus and Euripides, he is considered the most important of the ancient Greek tragedian poets. His surviving plays, especially Antigone and Oedipus the King, are performed on stages all over the world.
Positioned centrally in the painting, the muscular figure of Oedipus is brightly illuminated as he is bending towards the Sphinx, whose hybrid body is partially hidden in the shadows. However, her lioness body, eagle wings, and female head can be made out. The Sphinx besieged the Greek city of Thebes and posed riddles to the passing Thebans. Those who could not solve it were eaten by her, strangled, or thrown into a crevice. Only Oedipus could solve her riddle and thus free Thebes from the Sphinx, becoming the king of the city — which can be seen in the opening between the rocks in the background — and unknowingly marrying his mother.
For many of his paintings, Ingres looked at the classical works, and also, the way he shows the figure of Oedipus seems to be inspired by ancient Greek vases. Ingres was working at a time in France when classical antiquity was very much in fashion again.
Pablo Picasso "Don Quixote"
This dynamic drawing by the Spanish artist Pablo Picasso is another great example of the connection between art and literature. Sketched in 1955, Picasso masterfully captured the quintessence of Miguel de Cervantes' novel 'Don Quixote,' published in 1605. This drawing was featured in the weekly journal Les Lettres Françaises on the occasion of the 350th anniversary of the book.
As a refresher: the story is about Don Quixote, who is addicted to reading chivalric novels. He has lost his ability to distinguish between fiction and truth and believes he is the main protagonist of a chivalric adventure himself, who has to fight windmills, amongst other things. Always on his side is his squire, Sancho Panza, who is always trying to save his master from the worse.
In Picasso's drawing, we see the two heroes of the story prominently positioned in the foreground of the composition: Don Quixote can be seen mounted on his skinny horse Rocinante holding a lance and a shield. Next to him is his sidekick Sancho Panza sitting on his donkey, Dapple. The windmills in the background hint that Picasso depicts one of the most famous episodes from the novel: Don Quixote's fight against the windmills.
Even though this is a very simple drawing, it captures the absurdity and humorous nature of the book characters perfectly.
Salvador Dali "Mad Tea Party"
Originally called 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland,' this children's book by the British writer Lewis Carroll was published in 1865 and has continuously inspired readers, especially artists, ever since. While her sister reads to her from a book, Alice's title character sees a talking white rabbit staring at a clock, thinking he is late. Curious, Alice follows him into his burrow. She falls far down and lands in a room with many doors leading her into Wonderland, where she experiences many adventures and meets wondrous characters.
Unsurprisingly, the Spanish surrealist painter Salvador Dali seemed the perfect fit for Random House Publishing when they aimed to illustrate Carroll's story in 1969. For this purpose, Dali created twelve lithographs, one for each book chapter. The illustration 'Mad Tea Party' particularly shows how well Dali's surrealist style and the story go together. Positioned centrally in the composition, we find Dali's signature object: the melting clock, which serves as the table for the tea service. A large tree grows through its middle, and its crown is inhabited by beautifully rendered, colorful butterflies. Dali captures the illogical, whimsical, and chaotic nature of Carroll's all-time classic.
Conclusion
Literature is perhaps one of the most significant sources of inspiration for artists throughout all periods of art history. Sometimes paintings inspired by literature become more famous than the original story, and it comes as a surprise to us when we learn about the background story. The pre-Raphaelites loved to dive back into the early modern time of Shakespeare and make them come alive in front of our eyes. The surrealists such as Magritte or Dali were naturally drawn to stories of mystery and whimsy. This brief exploration of the connection between art and literature has shown that the different fields of the arts are more connected than we might think!