‘Sleeping Beauty’ by the British genre, landscape & figure painter and illustrator, Edward Frederick Brewtnall (1846 – 1902). Brewtnall had a particular interest in Folk tales and Ballads which became the subjects of many of his paintings. Here we see his romanticized illustration of a female figure in a white dress sleeping in an outdoor bower as a curious young hunter approaches.
In the myth of Sleeping Beauty, the earth-goddess sinks into a long winter sleep, pricked by winter’s sharp thorn. All is locked in icy repose. Naught thrives save the ivy defying the cold, till the kiss of the golden-haired sun-god stirs a reawakened life.
#Reawakening #Myths #JohnFiske #Folktales