The Return of the Fairies to the Lake
Artist: Dioscoro Teófilo Puebla and Tolín (Spanish, 1831-1901)
Date: ca. 1864
Medium: Oil on canvas
Collection: Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid, Spain
Description
In a misty setting on the surface of a lake, with a backdrop of vegetation of large trees spilling their branches over the water, and the light illuminating the composition in the upper right corner of the canvas, several groups of fairies slowly enter the lake with contorted gestures. The most distinct is the central group formed by five figures in different postures. All are half-naked and covered by cloths of different colors. The main figure, the least submerged—curiously also the only one with black hair entwined with pearl ribbons—is covered with a vaporous, transparent cloth over which a pink-red cloak floats. With her left arm, she holds another companion with long blond hair and a golden cloak that begins to sink into the water. To the right of this figure and in front of her, two fairies with blond hair dressed in bluish-white cloths are already submerging into the depths.
