Nanna

A strong angular profile. She is turning away from us, but not escaping.

Her poise reveals confidence, inviting us to follow her in the shadows, in the privacy of her open peacock-feather fan.

"Nanna" was recently exhibited at the Royal Collection exhibition "Edwardians: The Age of Elegance". Her torso turned in a diagonal direction, revealing her profile and exposing the back of her neck and her shoulder. I was drawn to the elaborate articulation of the folds of her white tunic as it caught the bright sunlight, culminating in the glorious shimmering of her satin green sleeve.

Leighton's work is not narrating a story; he is not even introducing Nanna. Here, the artistry of the great master is devoting every stroke of this small painting to beauty: her elegant posture, her ebony cascading hair, the light on her pearls, the exotic feathers of her fan, the draping of her opulent dress.

Leighton gives us permission to admire beauty in every material detail. A shift in our mentality, our values. Our dress acquires purpose.

We join a movement where our presence is intentional: with colour, fabric, artistry, details.

The Cult of Beauty. 

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