A portrait by James Tissot, a French whose depiction of the Victorian Times reflected, not the French but the British landscape.
I keep staring at this beautiful painting of a Victorian woman in black against the backdrop of a lucscious autumn 'greenery.' The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence. I suppose I'm suddenly drawn to this painting because of a similar period in my life. Almost nothing to fret about but a deep contentment for the present moment, a refined sensibility toward cultural differences and in turn self-acceptance, and a deep optimism despite a world that is presently entrenched in mother's nature's wrath of disasters and dark economic bleakness. Autumn sets forth for me reflections and a harvest of new, creative energy from staring at a beautiful painting of the Victorian era.
