Wonder and Warmth from Lantern Light...

During a recent return trip to the Tate Britain, I was yet again almost inexplicably drawn to three specific paintings, much as a moth to a flame. Painted between the end quarter of the 19th century up to end of the first quarter of the 20th century, these works have very little in common, apart from their respective representations of the irresistible glow emanating from lantern light. From there, the 'moth effect' operates, as the visitor is mesmerised by the visual effect that almost becomes a physical sensation, radiating a restful warmth of wonder. The first painting shown here, A Fishergirl's Light (1899), by an Austrian artist - Marianne Stokes (1855-1927) possesses a quasi-mystical air with the female figure shown in striking profile against a seascape of muted colours crisscrossed by the nets and sails of the fishing boats. She glances down, as if in prayer, to the glowing painted paper lamp she holds in her clasped hands, leaving us to ponder over the significance of its religious character. Another lantern illuminates the fishergirl's back as with the beads and crucifix of a rosary strung over the bow of boat. The collective lantern light picks up the warmth of the girl's face, neck and hands, offset by the stark crisp white of her coiffe headdress.

The second painting here, is the work of John Singer Sargent (1856-1925) that ensured his success when he arrived in London from Paris; Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose (1885-6). The glow of the lamps draws both the girls and us likewise into the garden scene, with a sense of childlike fascination with the play of light of flame on paper. The girls in their starched white clothing are caught in the twilight, patchily lit up by lanterns and surrounded by convoluted flower petals and the darker carpet of stalks as night starts to fall. The effect again is peaceful yet with a slight tension as the opposites play against each other...

Pastoral, painted after the First World War in 1923-4 by Frederick Cayley Robinson (1862-1927), offers a wistful image of peace with a family group set by a meandering, moonlit river. The air of timelessness is highlighted by the lack of direct cultural references or realist narrative, as the figures stand by their sheep, the father bows his head, thus overting his eyes; the mother holds the lantern down to light up the lambs, whilst the daughter gazes out at us from the silver birch trees. By their feet, moths gravitate towards the lantern, caught in the light...