Some of Pop Artist Taylor Swifts most loyal fans have descended upon the art world in droves to catch a glimpse at a painting she references in her new music video for the song “The Fate of Ophelia”, which was released on her most recent album The Life of a Showgirl.
While there was more attention paid to the better-know John Everett Millais Ophelia (1851–52) in London’s Tate collection, the singer highlights a different iteration of the famed tale directly at the beginning of her music video.
In the opening scene, viewers can see Swift as Ophelia in a framed painting that more closely resembles Art Nouveau painter Friedrich Heysers Ophelia (ca. 1900), which hangs in the Wiesbaden State Museum in Germany. Her white dress, pose, and the background all mimic the original. As a result, the museum saw hundreds of additional visitors last weekend
Friedrich Heyser: Ophelia, ca. 1900.COURTESY WIKIMEDIA COMMONS