How does a painting change when we look at it through the eyes of a literary character? Mona Lisa — Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519) Elizabeth Bennet might smile at all the theories surrounding that famous smile. Emma Woodhouse would probably try at once to decipher the personality of the woman in the portrait. Water Lilies — Claude Monet (1840–1926) Anne Elliot might see time, memory, and change in it. Mr. Darcy might appreciate precisely the calm and restraint of the image. The Starry Night — Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890) Catherine Morland might turn the restless sky into the beginning of a mystery. Marianne Dashwood might notice the emotion first, and only then the landscape. These characters belong to the world of Jane Austen (1775–1817), while the paintings come from very different periods. Perhaps one interesting way to look at art is to ask not only: “What do I see?” but also: “What would someone else see in it?” #ArtHistory #FamousPaintings #LeonardoDaVinci #ClaudeMonet #VincentVanGogh #ArtAndLiterature #Museums #20260824 #0240 #MrCulturewise #CaptainWeb #English
