Marriage Stories

In this painting of a bride in a beautiful Victorian dress, you can find a romantic and mystical symbolism often found in the Pre-Raphaelites (these are English artists in the Victorian era).

With this painting, Petra Gruiters participates in a competition where designers have made wedding dresses. Each wedding dress has a unique story written about the bride and her situation. Artists have been asked to create their art with a dress and a story.

My choice fell on an elegant Victorian dress and a story about female strength and female cooperation.

In the painting the bridge functions as a symbol of immaturity, innocence and ignorance. The bride stands on the bridge, which represents the darkness and uncertainty of her current state. The chains symbolize that she is still trapped in the old, dark place. The bridge is a metaphor for the journey from childhood to adulthood, where you have to cross from the known to the unknown. The bridge is a transitional space that requires courage and perseverance to cross, and represents the bride’s willingness to leave her old self behind and embrace a new life with her husband.

The gate in the painting also functions as a symbol of transition and change. The gate is a symbol of the bride’s willingness to embrace change and leave the familiar behind. It is also a symbol of the bride’s agency and independence as she chooses to enter through the gate into her new life. The gate represents the bride’s journey to adulthood and self-discovery.

The tree of life in the background of the painting serves as a symbol of growth and new beginnings. A winding path follows to the tree, her path! The tree represents the future of the bride with her husband and her new family. It is a symbol of fertility, abundance and prosperity. The tree of life also represents the bride’s connection to nature and her spiritual journey. The tree reminds us that life is a continuous cycle of growth and renewal, and represents the bride’s hope for a beautiful and fulfilling future. The Tree of Life reminds us that the bride’s journey to adulthood and self-discovery continues, and that there is always room for growth and new beginnings.

A light shines on her, the light of life. This creates a triangle of light, like a triangle in religion, which is why the Virgin Mary is often depicted as a triangle. The family also stands as the triangle of society.

One of her shoes shines gently through her dress. This refers to the story of Cinderella. The shoe represents the principle of being chosen. To be the chosen one! To be found, loved and cherished.

The hand is an inverted version of the hand from Michelangelo’s painting and represents the birth, the creation, the designer of the dress.

I love a little drama in my painting : “A true love story is also a tragedy”

• Gallery