Wait, what? Pre-Raphaelite Millais painting included coded anti-masturbation message

[wfgodot]

Revealed: The secret message hidden in Pre-Raphaelite master's
painting warning prudish Victorians against sinful behaviour (Daily Mail)

• Phallic image in John Everett Millais' 1848 painting Isabella
• Painting shows phallus emerging from a man's groin
• Image is a shadow made by the man holding a nutcracker
• Shadow was included as a warning about masturbation, researchers say

story at the link

Better reproduction of painting in question.

Millais' most famous work, "Ophelia" (detail).

 

[Kat]

does the old woman have one too? She has a shadow in front of her also haha!

 

[Donjeta]

'That is really emphasised by the fact he is cracking a nut with the nutcracker,' Ms Smith said, 'and he has this rapier-like leg which, if you follow its line, points directly into the womb of Isabella.'


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ainting-warning-self-abuse.html#ixzz26FQzkH97

I thought he was about to kick the dog. The poor thing looks scared.

 

[21merc7]

You had me at Pre-Raphaelite! I remember this from my independent art history studies. It is very fascinating to find that every painting is filled with a plethora symbolism from either the artist's point of view or that of the person purchasing the work. There is almost always an artist comment contained. Literally every tiny thing means something, every movement, and every chosen color.

Not sure that happens as often enough today unfortunately.

 

[wfgodot]

Wish I were there for this:

Pre-Raphaelites, Tate Britain exhibition: visions that tell us who we are (Telegraph)

Kitsch, old-hat and irrelevant? The Tate’s new blockbuster show sets out to prove that the Pre-Raphaelites’ hyper-real fantasies are anything but. Mark Hudson welcomes this timely reappraisal.

the story at the link above