Millpond

Stanhope’s friendship with Edward Burne-Jones, whose work is also on view in this exhibition, proved a significant influence on his art. Like his friend, he began depicting otherworldly, poetic, and mythological subjects set in spaces that recall times past. Though evocative, this image of a beautiful woman reading near a mill lacks a clear narrative. The vagueness of the subject allows the viewer to focus on the quiet, dreamlike mood evoked by the figure’s actions and the appealing setting. Golden overtones in the landscape and softly rounded shapes, such as the lily pads in the foreground, enhance the sense that this scene took place long ago and far away (2022).