ELAINE: 'AND THE DEAD, STEER'D BY THE DUMB WENT UPWARD WITH THE FLOOD' - TENNYSON, IDYLLS OF THE KINGS

ELAINE AND LANCELOT IS ONE OF A SERIES OF PICTURES EXECUTED BY GRIMSHAW IN THE 1870S BASED ON THEMES FROM CONTEMPORARY LITERATURE. CONSIDERING THESE WORKS, ALEXANDER ROBERTSON HAS WRITTEN: 'ONE OF THE STRANGEST OF THESE PAINTINGS IS ELAINE, WHICH FOLLOWS A TEXT FROM TENNYSON'S IDYLLS OF THE KING. GRIMSHAW GIVES US 'THE DUMB OLD SERVITOR, ON THE DECK,/WINKING HIS EYES AND TWISTING ALL HIS FACE'. ELAINE HERSELF IS SHOWN, 'IN HER RIGHT HAND THE LILY, IN HER LEFT/THE LETTER - ALL HER BRIGHT HAIR STREAMING DOWN'. THE POEM WAS ILLUSTRATED BY GUSTAVE DORé IN THE MOXON EDITION OF 1877, AND CERTAIN SIMILARITIES BETWEEN GRIMSHAW'S PAINTING AND THE PUBLISHED ENGRAVING CAN BE SEEN' (A. ROBERTSON, ATKINSON GRIMSHAW, LONDON, 1988, P. 59).

WE ARE GRATEFUL TO ALEXANDER ROBERTSON OF LEEDS CITY ART GALLERY, FOR HIS ASSISTANCE IN PREPARING THIS ENTRY.