I created this sketch earlier of the “Ford Shelley Memorial” sculpture that I saw earlier today by Gordon onslow. Its beauty struck me so much that I scrambled to find my sketchbook. The sculpture looks beautiful but also reminds me of a painful time in my life. At that time, I thought that I had everything planned out, but soon everything came crashing down. I chose this piece because of how awfully exhausted the two characters in the sculpture look. Like them I was exhausted of work, exhausted of the same routine, and exhausted of people. When I was not working tirelessly on the sculpture, I was at home reminiscing on what could have been. That is what made me tired of my situation. This sculpture reminds me of when I was so tired of my normal life and I was just laying around expecting a change to come but nothing would change, unless I did. I could not sit around waiting for Vincent to come and sweep me off of my feet. I could not wait around doing nothing and expect that to earn me a spot in the Royal Academy. But this is exactly what I did. I sat still in my life causing my opportunity with the Royal Academy was gone and so was my chance with Vincent. I wish that I could tell the characters in this sketch that change is coming, because it is. Even if they feel as if they are at their lowest point and there is no way that anything can get better, it will. This sculpture is important to me because it reminds me of how I have come from such a dark place. It reminds me of the better woman I am overall now because I overcame those hardships.
Editorial Commentary: This Sculpture depicts how women in the Victorian era felt. A woman tired of having to prove herself in a society that is meant to lift men up and push women down. During this time, society was set up so that women almost had to be dependent on men in order to survive. It was impossible to get jobs, yet they were looked down upon if they did not have a job. According to society in the Victorian era pursuing a career such as Mary’s in art, was seen as absurd and should have been kept as a hobby. This sculpture specifically shows a man at rest on a bed and a woman bent over after working. Mary worked so hard in order to please everyone around her, specifically her brother, Vincent, and Mr.Jackson. As they would sleep peacefully in a society set up perfectly for them, she would lack sleep worrying about her next move and how she would provide for those around her without having to depend on a man to do it for her. Mary continues to mention in her commentary about Vincent and how she needs to move on from him, however he is the one that she brings up the most. Showing that this one man still has a very large impact on Mary’s thoughts. Sadly Vincent chose another woman over Mary in order to become a bigger political figure. Once he realized that it was a bad idea and wanted to come back to Mary she finally gained the knowledge and self confidence to tell him no. Since he chose his career over her she wanted to prove a point to him by showing him how independent she can be without him.
Citation: Dixon, Ella Hepworth. The Story of a Modern Woman. 1894. COVE, 2020.