The Age of Innocence
In 2019 I read The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton. I was so struck by how Wharton conjured up specific imagery with her prose without being overbearing with the descriptions. Just enough to ignite a very clear image for me. My husband recommended after finishing the novel to watch the 1993 film, and though I love Daniel Day Lewis and was eager to see it, I could not stomach that Ellen was made into a blonde and May into a brunette. A very shallow hurdle for some, maybe, but the 'darkness' of Ellen and 'lightness' of May seemed a key visual feature thematically that was not upheld. I decided before watching the movie I would need to quickly illustrate some of my most visually-remembered passages so they wouldn't be corrupted by someone else's vision. I ended up doing a few character studies as well.
It only took me four years to finally sit down and do this, but now I can go watch the film with an easy heart!
Threw this together last minute. It's really very messy, but I felt the project warranted a title page. Maybe too nouveau over Victorian, but ah well.
"Not one had the nymph-like ease of his wife..." May doing archery. I did a good handful of Monet studies in high key before approaching this. It was a good exercise describing form and shadow with saturation and hue instead of large range values.
"Madame Olenska had sprung up and moved to his side, slipping her hand into his; but after a glance through the window her face paled and she shrank back... 'I didn't know he was here...'"
"'Ah, my poor Newland -- I suppose this had to be. But it doesn't in the least alter things,' she said."
"...he said to himself: 'If it were only to see her hand again I should have to follow her --.'"
"For a moment, in the billowy darkness inside the big landau, he caught the dim oval of a face, eyes shining steadily -- and she was gone."
May Welland
May concepts. Child-like, vapid, light, transparent.
Countess Ellen Olenska
Ellen concepts. Passion, night, sorrowful, unbound.
Archer Newland
