Love is a feeling, although it is pleasant, but often causes a lot of suffering. This is very clearly reflected by the artist in his painting, which we want to talk about in this article.
In 1852, the artist William Powell Frith wrote the painting "Pope confesses his love to Lady Mary Montague".
William Powell Frith. Pope confesses his love to Lady Mary Montague
However, it differs strikingly from the image of a classic declaration of love: the woman, that is, the same Mary Montague is laughing gleefully, and her hapless beau Pope sits gloomier than a cloud, her face reflects a whole range of emotions, but not one positive. Hurt ego, anger, annoyance, embarrassment - it is immediately obvious that the declaration of love did not go well at all, and after such a reaction of the ladies to break up, and never see each other again in their lives.
Pope confesses his love to Lady Mary Montague, a fragment of a painting
But why the lady laughs so infectiously at this rather reverent and intimate moment, when even an inappropriate remark or a mocking smile can seriously offend a lover and potential spouse, and who they are in general, Alexander Pope and Mary Montague, we will tell you in this article.
Pope confesses his love to Lady Mary Montague. fragment of a painting
Mary Montague was an 18th century English writer known for her extremely bold and independent views. She was one of the first European women to travel to the East, not for any religious reasons, but simply for the sake of traveling - to show herself and the world to see the good she could afford it. When she returned from there, she presented an extensive and interesting from the literary point of view description of the life and manners of the places she had visited.
Jean-Etienne Lyotard. Lady Montague in a Turkish dress
Mary was born into a family of English aristocrats, and being left to herself, in adolescence "settled" in her father's huge library, where she read books on all fields of knowledge and various fiction. By the age of 14, she wrote her first collection of poems, and at the same time swung at a small novel, which was not inferior to many similar works of the time. Subsequently, she shone at social gatherings, charming many with her intelligence, education and sarcasm.
A portrait of Mary Montague
Her personal life, on the other hand, was complicated. She gave her future husband Edward Walter Montague an impressive list of conditions under which she would agree to marry him, including equal decision-making and respect. Montague read them and agreed, but despite the fact that he came from a wealthy family, his candidacy did not suit Mary's father. And then the romance began: Mary ran away to her fiancé in her shirt at night, they drove off and married.
Portrait of Edward Walter Montague
In general, Mary was a romantic, but very narcissistic and picky person who knew her own value all too well.
The writer and classic of English literature Alexander Pope sincerely fell in love with her and confessed his feelings, using overly flowery and pathos expressions. Another girl in her place would have been delighted, but Mary such a confession just laughed, and she did not restrain her laughter, even though it bloodily offended Pope.
Michael Dahl. Portrait of Alexander Pope
That remained for the rest of her life her worst critic and detractor, constantly caustic ridiculed in all English newspapers, so surely the girl's refusal was still not in vain: why tie your life with a man who is so far from nobility and ready to take revenge on the lady?
Well, Frith managed to reflect this scene very authentically and with a certain degree of irony, which was surely talked about by the whole English society.
And what do you think, whether a girl can laugh so much at the hapless admirer or should still respect his pride - write in the comments
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