The Sense of Sight

Annie Swynnerton was an English painter of allegorical, figure, and portrait paintings. She studied at Manchester School of Art, Académie Julian, and in Rome. Swynnerton was influenced by George Frederic Watts and Edward Burne-Jones. John Singer Sargent appreciated her work and helped her to become the first elected woman member at the Royal Academy of Arts in 1922, even although it had been in existence for 154 years by that time!

The senses were a favorite subject for 17th-century artists, represented in a fairly literal manner. Following this tradition, Swynnerton’s angel, who appears on earth, relies on her sight to find heaven. The subject of The Sense of Sight, an angel overwhelmed at the wonder of what she can see, perhaps relates to the importance of sight to an artist and the joy of the visual world. Her rapturous expression suggests not merely sight but also a spiritual vision and the realistic painting of flesh and face contrasts with the figure’s spirituality.

If you love Pre-Raphaelitists, we encourage you to read the article "Legend of Proserpine by Dante Gabriel Rossetti".