The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of May 13, 2024

"And now they never meet in grove or green," from act 2, scene 1 of A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare

"And now they never meet in grove or green," from act 2, scene 1 of A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare

1908
(British, 1867–1939)
England, 20th century
pen and black ink and watercolor with scraping and minute touches of white gouache
Sheet: 38.6 x 27 cm (15 3/16 x 10 5/8 in.)
Gift of Mrs. Don Hunter 1954.651
Location: 101A Prints & Drawings

Did You Know?

Arthur Rackham was one of the first book illustrators to take advantage of color halftone printing, augmenting his ink drawings with subtle washes of transparent hues.

Description

This drawing is one of 40 made by Arthur Rackham to illustrate William Shakespeare's comedy A Midsummer Night's Dream. It depicts the confrontation between Oberon and Titania, king and queen of the fairies, that takes place in the woods outside of Athens in act 2, scene 1. The artist painted a stormy sky looming over the magical couple to echo the story's mood. Rackham worked during a golden age of book illustration in England, around the turn of the 20th century, and the images he produced for literary works influenced future productions of Shakespeare's work.
  • ?-1954
    Mrs. Don Hunter, Albany, GA, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
    1954-
    Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Shakespeare, William. A Midsummer Night's Dream: With Illustrations by Arthur Rackham, R.W.S. London: William Heinemann, 1908.
    Shakespeare, William. A Midsummer Night's Dream. Mineola, NY: Dover, 2003. Reproduced: p. 32
    Lemonedes, Heather. British Drawings: The Cleveland Museum of Art. Exh. Cat. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2013. Mentioned: pp. 136-37, 147, no. 47; Reproduced: p. 137
  • Fairy Tales and Fables: Illustration and Storytelling in Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (May 4-September 8, 2024).
    British Drawings from the Cleveland Museum of Art . The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 10-May 26, 2013).
    Water Color. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 6-August 27, 1962).
  • {{cite web|title="And now they never meet in grove or green," from act 2, scene 1 of A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare|url=false|author=Arthur Rackham|year=1908|access-date=13 May 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1954.651