TY - JOUR
AU - Torpy, Janet M.
AB - The Arts and Crafts movement, spearheaded by British creative genius William Morris and his longtime friend, schoolmate, and companion Edward Burne-Jones (1833-1898), heralded a major shift in the aesthetics of the late 19th and early 20th century. Rebelling against the automation and mind-numbing production pressure of the Industrial Age, Arts and Crafts artists attempted to recall the artisanship created by individuals who made one beautiful object at a time. Pomona (cover ), a tapestry woven at Morris & Company's Merton Abbey Tapestry Works, reflects the simple design principles of Morris, Burne-Jones, and their colleagues. Based on a drawing of Pomona by Burne-Jones and a background by one of the Merton Abbey weavers—and later director—John Henry Dearle, the textile was actually woven by Walter Taylor and John Keich. Produced in 1906, the tapestry emerged during the peak of Merton Abbey's success. The Surrey atelier of Morris and partners produced many examples of exquisite fabric work from its first piece in 1883 (The Goose Girl) until Merton Abbey closed in 1940. Sir Edward Burne-Jones, figure artist (1833-1898), and Merton Abbey Tapestry Works, Pomona, from Flora and Pomona, 1906, British. Cotton, wool, and silk, slit and double interlocking tapestry weave, 92.9×165.1 cm. Courtesy of The Art Institute of Chicago (http://www.artic.edu/aic/), Chicago, Illinois; Ida E. S. Noyes Fund, 1919.792. Photograph by Robert Lifson. Reproduction, The Art Institute of Chicago. Burne-Jones excelled at painting; Morris reigned over the design aspect of their collaborations. Morris' Socialist leanings and political activism initially distanced him from the other artists involved in production of the Morris & Company decorative arts, including Burne-Jones, although the two later retained their close friendship. Burne-Jones' wife Georgiana and Morris had an especially intimate relationship, after Morris' own wife Jane became enamored with Dante Gabriel Rossetti, the Pre-Raphaelite painter and mentor to Morris. The complex domestic arrangements included Rossetti and Mrs Morris cohabitating in the Morrises' country home Kellmscott Manor; Morris spent hours alone with Mrs Burne-Jones, who was able to give him the emotional support his own wife declined to share. The two couples never divorced, and despite Morris' closeness with Georgiana, he and Burne-Jones remained friends until Morris died in 1896, Burne-Jones at his side. A minor Roman goddess, a dryad, without a Greek counterpart, Pomona represents fruit—specifically apples—and orchards, trees, and the harvest. Featured in Ovid's Metamorphoses in the parable of Pomona and Vertumnus, Pomona received praise for her virtue and devotion to her orchards; Ovid wrote that “she had no interest in Venus.” Vertumnus, the Roman god of changing seasons, was one of her many disappointed suitors. He cloaked himself in multiple guises, including that of an elderly woman, in order to win Pomona's unsuspecting love. The maidenly dryad acquiesced to Vertumnus' charms and slick tongue: her submission has been portrayed in paintings, sculpture, other tapestries, and decorative objects. Even a former design of the seal of Los Angeles County (California) featured the goddess, this time standing alone with her bounty. Pomona is often confused with Ceres, the protector and goddess of grain. One of the modern interpretations of Pomona, the apple goddess whose influence and legend are still felt, is the autumnal celebration of Halloween, and the tradition of bobbing for apples. The Art Institute's tapestry Pomona is thought to originally have been part of a pair, Flora and Pomona, woven in 1906 and sold in that same year to a collector in Wimbledon. Pomona's name appears at the top of the work, making the artists' intentions unequivocal. The figure represents the aesthetic of the age: clear, beautiful, simple, and clean design, with a background of twirling leaves reminiscent of classical themes. The foliage of the border repeats in hints of undergarment peeking out at the elevated skirt and at the forearms, tying the elements together. Apples, not surprisingly, center the figure and break up her coral gown. Pomona holds her emblem, a branch of an apple tree; the limb joins other fruits and flowers that surround the dryad and reflect her status in the mythological world. A fair face with blond hair and blue eyes represents a more northern version of a goddess than one might find in Classical Rome: Burne-Jones appears to have drawn from his own wife's features, if extant photographs and portraits of Georgiana reveal her true likeness. Tapestries, woven objects of function and beauty, have hung on walls since medieval times, and probably before. The fabric paintings tell stories, record history, keep rooms warm, and serve as movable art, a durable feast for the eyes. In the Merton Abbey Pomona, one senses the core belief of the Aesthetic Movement so aptly rendered by the weavers and the figure artist Burne-Jones: a sensual, sensory response to art that is meant to favor beauty over subject, to reveal pleasure instead of a moral message. This rich tapestry displays true artisanship and beauty in classic Arts and Crafts fashion, blending with the story of Pomona, here presented by the finest textile artists of the era.
TI - Pomona
JF - JAMA
DO - 10.1001/jama.2009.1088
DA - 2009-09-09
UR - https://www.deepdyve.com/lp/american-medical-association/pomona-N2AIc3ILGI
SP - 1038
EP - 1038
VL - 302
IS - 10
DP - DeepDyve
ER -