Speakasso › Paintings › Ophelia
Ophelia
John Everett Millais, 1851
Ophelia from 'Hamlet', driven mad by grief, drifts down a stream singing, unaware that she is drowning; scattered around her are poppies, violets and forget-me-nots, each carrying a meaning. Millais painted the bank over five months on the Hogsmill River in Surrey, eleven hours a day, down to every stalk. Then Elizabeth Siddal posed in his London studio, lying in a bathtub of water warmed by lamps beneath. One day the lamps went out, she caught a bad chill, and her father demanded the artist pay the doctor's bills.
What is in the painting
- Open palms. A girl floats on her back, arms spread, lips parted.
- Embroidered dress. A silver-grey embroidered gown billows in the water.
- Green thicket. Willow, reeds and flowers frame the stream densely.
Did you know? A robin perches on the bank at right, alluding to Ophelia's song about 'bonny sweet Robin'.
About the painting
- Artist
- John Everett Millais (1829–1896)
- Year
- 1851
- Style
- Pre-Raphaelite
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Size
- 76 × 112 cm
- Where to see it
- Tate Britain, London
How to describe it in Speakasso
In Speakasso you describe the painting in your own words and an AI draws it again. These words are forbidden in this round — each one costs 15 points:
A description that scores high
A young woman floats on her back in a narrow stream, arms spread and palms open, lips parted as if singing. Her silver-grey embroidered gown billows around her, and her red-brown hair spreads out. Blooms drift beside her: red poppies, blue forget-me-nots, violets. Thick green willow, reeds and nettles crowd the banks on every side. Rich deep greens, bright clear daylight. Hyper-detailed, jewel-like painting with every leaf sharp.
The tricky part: Say she floats face up in a narrow stream in a silver-grey embroidered gown, with red poppies drifting around her.
The method behind it: what is painted first, then where things are, then colour and light, then the style. Read the full guide