artists would represent imperial power within their work as well as at least one immense emotion (Galitz). It emphasized intense emotion as a source of aesthetic appeal. They usually illustrated this by having other meanings behind aspects of their artwork such as color, facial expressions, lighting, and positions of those in the artwork. In this case Leighton tells the story between the princess and the knight and portrays their love for each other through his use of colors. As many love stories transpire within the artistic world, many would call them a tragedy rather than a love story. The elements within the tale are what portray these interpretations such as the figureheads within the story or even the environment or setting. Usually, in some “romantic” land, a beautiful young girl sees a handsome man and falls for him at first glance, as does the man towards the girl. As the tale continues, they both meet secretly time-after-time until another discovers their antics. They strive to keep their love for one another alive by combating the other party that has intervened. This leads to an eventual tragedy of one, if not both, bodies in the relation. The fable does not result in one of those happily ever after’s that children are so fond of but as a realistic life event. This is specifically portrayed between the two beings within the painting.
The scenario unraveling within the art tells the tale of their tragedy.
In my interpretation of the painting, she is honoring her love for a brave deed he has fulfilled, and he kneels before her showing his loyalty and respect for the higher authority before him; however, neither one can act upon their feelings for one another due to the subjects at the ceremony. They look on with inspiration and rapt to the man in front of their ruler. He bows his head to be bestowed this endowment from her through the dubbing of her sacred sword not knowing what is to come but a life together. Their happiness is then tragically seized when they are warned of a threat. Before he leaves to fulfill his duties, he promises his love that he will return to live the rest of eternity together. Her tenacious feelings she has for him leaves her to mourn internally. She is unable to act upon them or else one may think she is unfit to continue in her position of high authority. He does not survive his fight leaving her and the rest of the kingdom to mourn; however, her feelings for him will never
cease.
At first glance of the painting, the eye is drawn to the lady in white bringing forward her potential meaning to the scene. The hue of dress she is wearing can symbolize many different attributes. In Christianity, white was seen as a representation of the Madonna, or the Virgin Mary, as well as a color of light and the divine (Smith). This is well represented through her due to the focused light raining down on her from the window above which gives her an angelic ambiance. The white can also be a sign of happiness and a symbol of achievement (Smith). This is clearly depicted within Leighton’s piece because it portrays a joyous time for the people and the knight being dubbed, and it shows that this angel, the higher being, is showing her emotions for her people. Furthermore, her dress is outlined and trimmed with a wash of gold which can show compassion and love for those before you (“Personality”). This is an element that can be taken away from the artwork. This gold hue shows that she respects the man in front of her and is willing to show other onlookers—without stating directly—that she has great feelings for the man kneeling at her feet. In the time period depicted by Leighton, only white was traditional for one of higher authority unless there was some other relation between the two, and gold would usually symbolize weddings and royal families. This clearly shows that Leighton wanted to portray a hidden meaning behind her attire for the knight in red, one of love. This is reiterated by the kneeling knight at her feet. The sword, a symbol of purification, leads the way through the painting from the angelic women, to the unknowing kneeling knight in red. When one bows, it is seen as weakness and fear; although, it is also seen as a form of loyalty as well as bravery, and the knight clearly represents these characterizations. He is showing he is not afraid to bow before a woman, especially if it is the one he loves. He is presenting himself at his most vulnerable position to show his trust and devotion to the beautiful women before him. The color of his doublet only increases these emotions from Leighton’s work. The color of red is seen as beauty and romance and yet deadly: it can bring that of a delicate rose or that of a thunderous war. In this case, it brings with it beauty and romance. The knight is proudly displaying his love for not only her but for his kingdom, and that he will commit to his duty and complete any mission bestowed upon him even if it leads to his death.
As we associate love with the heart, we associate tragedy with one’s demise. In the Middle Ages, as portrayed through Leighton’s artwork, love stories coincided with tragedies, and usually it was between a dashing “knight in shining armor” and a beautiful “princess.” Although the knight in the art does not have shiny armor on, he is still portrayed in this manner. Furthermore, the colors used in the painting depict the emotions wanted to be exhibited by Leighton that was a common theme of the Victorian Romanticism era. His use of symbolic figures and pigmentations emphasized the emotions of love, grief, anger, and trust; however, his main goal was to tell the story between the two characters within the painting as well as bring the viewer's own emotional connection. His tragedy is meant to fascinate us, hypnotize us, amazes us, and to inspire us in any way: whether that is through the colors, the two figureheads, the angelic lighting, or even the brooding darkness coming from behind the witnesses. Leighton wanted to put the viewers into an illusion and recreate his story through one’s own eyes.