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Burne-Jones and the “beautiful, romantic dream of something that never was, never will be”
Aug. 28 is the birthday of a painter who was obsessed about myths during a time dominated by engineering and commerce.
Here’s my birthday gift to painter Edward Burne-Jones (1833–1898).
I present here a quote widely attributed to Burne-Jones without having been able to trace it back to its original source. This quote is said to come from a letter that Burne-Jones wrote to a friend describing a painting.
“I mean by a picture a beautiful, romantic dream of something that never was, never will be — in a light better than any light that ever shone — in a land no one can define or remember, only desire,” Burne-Jones is often said to have written.
Isn’t that lovely? Consider it again..“…a beautiful, romantic dream of something that never was, never will be — in a light better than any light that ever shone — in a land no one can define or remember, only desire.”
I admire Burne-Jones, even though I lack his ability to embrace the imaginary and let go of the search for facts.
Burne-Jones is known for his works depicting Arthurian legend and other myths. His native England had grown rich, in part…
