“The Lady of Shalott”

George Edward Robertson (British, 1864), “The Lady Of Shalott”, 1900

While looking through different portrayals of “The Lady of Shalott” I found the above painting. It is a bit different than most of the other paintings I saw, but I feel the emotion portrayed is the same. In this painting the Lady has reached Camelot and she is now dead due to her curse. She was separated from her artistic perspective and could no longer live. Consistent with the poem, she still wears white and her red hair is common in many paintings. Her woven shroud lays in the water and appears to be light blue in color with a discernible image of a horse and knight (Lancelot) woven into the pattern. There is a gray lantern to light her way and hanging over her are what appear to be dead leaves or possibly dead flowers, lilies perhaps, as told in the poem. While there are no knights with their distinguishable armor, there are plenty of nobles that appear shocked at her arrival and are pulling her boat over. They are wearing bright colors that show life and vitality. The overall expression and attitude of the crowd is truly one that says we are finally noticing you. Unfortunately, death is generally how artists attain notoriety.