Esther  1865

by John Everett Millais

Oil on Canvas [br] [i]Esther[/i] is a painting depicting the central character from the [i]Biblical Book of Esther[/i]. It is from Millais's [b]Aesthetic[/b] phase, when he was influenced by the work of Frederic Leighton and James McNeill Whistler. The painting depicts Esther, the Jewish wife of the Persian king Ahasuerus, as she prepares to enter the presence of her h...
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  1. Millais creates a dramatic visual effect by vivid contrasts of colours, setting the deep blue of the curtain against the yellow dress and the white columns. The minimising of the narrative aspect of the scene is also in line with the Aestheticist approach of the artists he is imitating and challenging.