“My life is a perfect graveyard of buried hopes.”
(Anne of Green Gables)
A cyanotype of my photograph, made by Arjun Jain.
Who is Byron’s Muse? My name is Asya Jain. I am a writer and an art lover. A Dreamer. A Romantic. An Aesthete. A wanna-be Hermit. A Slavic maiden dividing my time between Europe and India. I have a B.A. in art history and sociology but I consider my real art education to have come from a decade of passionate individual research. The aim of this blog was, first and foremost, to share beauty, and to write about art in a way which is unique, sincere, exciting and approachable. I found the whole academic style of writing on art tedious beyong belief. My aim is to make visual art be as exciting as rock music and I am not shy when it comes to combining paintings with lyrics from rock songs, poetry and fashion, quotes from novels and collages, everything is interconnected in my eyes. I am interested in finding similar moods, ideas and aesthetics, no matter the time period or the form of the artwork.
My favourite painters are: Caspar David Friedrich, Modigliani, John William Waterhouse, Egon Schiele, Marc Chagall, Vincent van Gogh, Edgar Degas, John Everett Millais, Klimt and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec.
Byron, one of my favourite poets – Farewell to my muse…
”Though simple the themes of my rude flowing Lyre,
Yet even these themes are departed for ever;
No more beam the eyes which my dream could inspire,
My visions are flown, to return,—alas, never!
Farewell, my young Muse! since we now can ne’er meet;
If our songs have been languid, they surely are few:
Let us hope that the present at least will be sweet—
The present—which seals our eternal Adieu.”
I hope you’ll enjoy in my musings.
Byron's Muse 
Fascinating blog! And the first thing I wanted to mention ever since I discovered your blog is that I love the background! It certainly enhances that 19th century atmosphere that emerges from your posts.
Looking forward to more posts!
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Thank you so much! I really appreciate all your comments and you’ve really inspired me to write more posts! 🙂
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Hi, I came across your blog through a friend. The picture you have with the five guys and five girls is of my band The Toggery Five taken in 1965. I’m in the middle. Could you please email me and I’ll give you more info on who the girls are and the story behind the picture. All the best . Frank.
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So glad to have stumbled upon your blog..so keep writing..studied Byron in college and I think its awesome youve dedicated this blog to him.. 🙂
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This is a great blog, I particularly loved your post on the lady of Shallot, not only because it was interesting and well written but because I adore the pre-raphaelites work, I agree with you that Waterhouse’s rendition of the lady in the boat is one of the best representations of her in art. I look forward to reading more.
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Thank you for commenting! It is a great compliment to hear that someone considers my posts to be interesting! 🙂
I adore the Pre-Raphaelites too, the whole aesthetic, the atmosphere, the paintings; they’re like an escape to another world…
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George – I’ve read your comment but I won’t publish it out of consideration for your privacy and secrecy. (You said it was a secret project.)
I’m very sorry, but I’m afraid I cannot help you with your question. That part of history, fashion and culture is not my area of interest and therefor my knowledge about it is minimal. I really can’t think of anything she could be wearing, I’m sorry again. Perhaps you should make your own version of her; portray her the way you imagine her to be, dress her up the way you want, like a timeless goddess. Try working with your imagination rather than facts and historical accuracy, I’m sure the result will be even better. Hmm, perhaps you could look at some Regency era (1800-1820s) portraits of ladies because the fashion at the time was influenced by the styles of Ancient Greece and Rome. Add a little opulence and voila! Here’s a link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1795%E2%80%931820_in_Western_fashion
Good luck with your writing! Don’t feel bad if you’re stuck with the story, try writing something else and the idea will come in the main time.
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You are very kind indeed! *Thank you* so much for your wise advice, I will check the Regency fashion. It is true that dress details will not change the message of the novel, but I try to imagine her personality and then dressing is important.
Now I will enjoy reading your last blog!
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I meant I’ll enjoy your latest blog!
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Love the “Lady of Shallot” painting. I always felt we were afflicted in the same way.
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Seeing as I cannot reply directly to the comment you sent me (it only works one-way but I do wish to reply), I hope you do not mind me clogging up this page with one! I am very glad you bothered to watch the film and gladder still that you liked it; it has become one of my favourite films, it reminds me too of ‘1984’ but I think it is much more similar to the Terry Gilliam film ‘Brazil’ which I also recommend if you haven’t watched it. I have actually seen ‘Paranorman’ and while I do not think it is as good as ‘Coraline’ it is still enjoyable with some excellent stop-motion design. Thanks for getting in touch!
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‘clogging up this page’, oh, you just made me laugh! I barely even get any comments, so I’m delighted to see a new one! I agree with you about ‘Coraline’ being better, but ‘ParaNorman’ is still enjoyable, as you’ve put it. I haven’t watched ‘Brazil’, and I’ll be honest, nothing from Monty Python has captured my attention so far, but I love ‘Blackadder’ very much so maybe in a few years I’ll enjoy Monty Python too. Oh, by the way, did you know that John Everett Millais was born on this day in 1829? And Robert Schumann. I’m good at memorizing birthdays.
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Millais is definitely one of my top fave pre-raphaelite painters, so it is interesting to know it’s his birthday. I am a big fan of Blackadder also & I do like Monty python, but honestly ‘Brazil’ and other Gilliam films are not at all like Python, they are very much his own thing and ‘Brazil’ is heavily based on Orwell’s ‘1984’, you could almost call it an adaptation.
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Hey thanks for the recommendation of that illuminations programme, I do love books, and history and art so it was a perfect combination! Incredible amount of work in those old manuscripts, such opulence and skill, it’s amazing they have survived so well preserved. Some of the illustrations in those books though were quite amusing. Thanks again, I do like to hear from you.
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I’m glad you enjoyed it, I did too. As you said, it’s an incredible amount of work, and patience and creativity. Have you by chance checked out the Manic Street Preachers? Well, I sense it may not be your cup of tea, but I hope that you at least found it tolerable.
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I have indeed checked out the Manic Street Preachers – I rather liked the songs ‘Motorcycle emptiness’ and ‘A design for life’ perhaps they wouldn’t be top of my playlist but are certainly more than tolerable. Perhaps not quite so keen on some of their other songs though – which are your faves? Or is that a difficult question to answer?
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I love all their songs but my faves are: Love’s Sweet Exile, From Despair to Where, This is the Day, Roses in the Hospital, So Dead, Sleepflower, 4 ever delayed – I love their early phase more, but I think you’d prefer their later years and songs such as Walk me to the Bridge, If you tolerate this, You stole the sun from my heart, Your Love Alone is Not Enough… Thanks for asking, I could talk about Manics forever, so I’m gonna stop now. I enjoy chatting with you too, so if you have any books, films etc. to recommend, feel free to do so. Cheers.
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This is the best blog I’ve ever seen. It’s pure poetry, light and magic.
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That’s such a nice thing to say, thank you!
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It’s also true!
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I loved your topics. I haven’t read them yet. I’ve enjoyed the paintings so much. I’d like to know you more .. talk abt music, movies, books, poems.. anything that has a beauty. I’m from Egypt and my name is Rufaidah.
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Hello Rufaidah,
I’m glad you enjoyed the paintings, I hope you’ll enjoy my posts as well. My blog is a place of beauty so feel free to immerse yourself in beauty and daydreams.
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Thanx
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I just had to make a blog on wordpress to communicate 😀
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And I just had to dive into it today, to get creatively un-stuck. Very reflectively PRB-ish and some great
writerly advice for a psychedelic “schoolgirl.”
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Congratulations on your lovely blog! I look forward to reading more. 🙂
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Thank you so much! 🙂
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Your blog is a dream! It truly is a great place to immerse myself in when I’m in need of something magical and poetical to escape the dreary reality. I’ve found many echoes of my own soul in your posts. Except that I could never be as eloquent and cultured as you are. 😉 I’m actually a little jealous!
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Thank you so much! I am glad you see it as an escape from reality, for I myself love to escape reality as much as I can haha. You needn’t be jealous, it sours the disposition, and I’m sure you have some talents that I could only dream of! All the best 🙂
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Authentic site, a journey I will continue to walk through. thank you
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Thank you very much! I hope you enjoy my writing in the future.
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I’m so glad that I found your blog! I was searching after a blog that could capture the old days with an authentic touch and you got it all! I searched for blogs that could talk about Brigitte Bardot and her style and found a post on your blog. Forever grateful for that search!
Have you seen any movies from the french director Eric Rohmer? If not I highly recommend you to seek out his movies. His short film Nadja in Paris from 1963 is a breathtaking little film (you can find it on youtube). He has a quite massive catalog of great films and a very pleasing aesthetic when it comes to the mise-en-scene and cinematography if you’re looking for something dreamy. Jean Renoir’s short film A day in the country from 1936 is also a gorgeous film that has that same aesthetic.
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Hello Sofia, thank you for comment! Sorry about my late reply, I was ill. I think I only saw one film by Rohmer but I am not sure. I have heard for Nadja in Paris but have not seen it, thanks for recommending me both films, it’s always nice to get ideas of what to watch. All the best to you!
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Excellent blog, writing, taste! Happy to have wandered somehow into this wonder.
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Thank you very much!
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Oh, good. My comment didn’t fall back into nothingness the moment I clicked the “post comment” button. As I don’t have a WP account, I thought might. Thinking it would, I left a longer comment for your piece about that lyric from The Cure, about being down in dark water and being able to breath, drowning in a dark sublime, but not drowning, writing it only to write it. I’ll shut up now and not become more of a bore. I do share many interests that are reflected and written about here, and I took the rare (maybe the first time?) additional step of saying wanting to say hello,to tell you that I like what you’ve built here, , and I will no doubt discover new interests as I spend time reading here. So thank you very much, and.you’re most welcome.
Bye -James
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Absolutely lovely stuff. Thank you for being a perfect curator.
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Glad you think so, thank you for reading.
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inspiring, beautiful blog <33 you are an excellent curator and writer with such a deep, meticulous knowledge on all these subjects that you express with such a lush, stunning vocabulary and without any restrained passion. you breathe life into everything you write about. i wish this blog got the recognition it deserves its one of my favorite sites honestly its a treasure trove of practically everything i care about
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Thank you so much for your kind words and appreciation of my writing, I am speechless this is all so beautifully and eloquently put, thank you ❤
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not a problem <33 you're so dedicated and seasoned you wholly deserve all the recognition and support you receive. there are so few who truly understand and appreciate the things you write about nowadays so its always wonderful to see and you shine such a sweet light on it all
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Ah! The Pre Raphaelites were a sublime combination of the Classical, Romantic and s symbolic… before the deluge.
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Your blog touches me. I am in love with and intrigued by my muses, several over the 50 years I have been painting. The relationship is sensual, yet pure, and I recognise this purity in your blog.
And may you stay… forever young.
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Thank you so much for your lovely words! Young at heart I think I will always be
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A very nice blog! Many thoughts about beautiful pictures.
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Thank you! 🙂
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I just discovered your blog in February 2021. So, I doubt you are now a psychedelic schoolgirl with passion for art, music and literature. Your pages have entertained my evening and I truly hope that you have managed to make a living through art, music, literature or all three.
I’m officially old, as of last year, and time flies so fast. Never miss an opportunity to delight in what the world has to offer read all you can and do art, if you are no good at art, play at it.
I hope life treats you well.
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I’m a psychedelic student now. Thank you for your very kind and wise words, I feel the weight of transience all the time and so the only way to fight is to, like you said, delight in what the world has to offer and find beauty in the little things. Best wishes to you too.
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I have enjoyed reading your blog for only a short time — less than a year, I think — and I almost always come away having learned something. It’s obvious that you love what you do and I appreciate that you are willing to share your knowledge of the arts. One of the things I love about Frida is the honesty exhibited in her paintings. She unabashedly bares her soul for us all to see. I have always been a seeker of the truth and I know of no other painter (other than possibly van Gogh) who is so truthful.
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Thanks! This is nice to hear. I absolutely agree with that you said about Frida, she is very direct and I love that, especially in paintings such as ‘Diego in my thoughts’ or ‘Two Fridas’ with a bleeding heart, very direct and aesthetically powerful.
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Hello! I am looking to identify the artist of an old pen and ink drawing my grandfather loves and came across your site. It appears to be a stylized woman or girl wearing a hoop dress from the 1700-1800s. I’m a former art student, but have reached the end of my researching abilities and would love your help if you’re open to it! Thanks!
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Well that sounds very interesting but I’m afraid I am not that skilled at identifying artists. I would have loved to help but my knowledge just isn’t that great. Still, good luck in your quest for the author of the drawing!
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I came accross your blog through your post on Turgenev. I enjoyed it a lot.
I am so surprised to learn about a “schoolgirl” who is interested in 19th century art! Congratulations.
I have a 6 and 8 years old daughters myself. Can you give me some advice as to how I can raise their interest in classic art, literature, music as they grow up?
Thank you and congratulations on your blog again.
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Hi there and thank you for your kind words. Hmm I thought about your question and all I think the best thing to do is let them be exposed to beautiful things and art; let them hear classical music, let them gaze at the pages of art books (preferrably artists such as Kandinsky because his art is colourful and playful and it would appeal to their child-minds, maybe Impressionism or fairy tale art by Edmund Dulac or Arthur Rackham, something suitable that wouldn’t bore them), and there are a lot of fun children’s novels such as Anne with an E or Wizard of Oz that you could read to them even though they are too small to read on their own, but it would surely make their imagination grow. And then maybe, with time, you would see where their talents lie and could encourage them to pursue that, maybe there is a great painter hiding in your daughter right now, who knows. So yes, definitely expose them to things of beauty, it will become familiar to them and they will grow fond of it for sure!
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I love Rackham too and live near the Peter Pan statue in Kensington Gardens commissioned by JM Barrie which Rackham illustrated for him.
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I’ve just discovered your blog and i love it!! Got here by accident while searching for Arthur Rimbaud’s poems, but I’ll definitely stay<3
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That’s nice to hear! hope you enjoy my writing.
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Why have I only just discovered your blog? It is absolutely glorious!
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I don’t know hehe, but I am delighted to hear that!
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Interesting blog…
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Your blog is one of my favorite things on internet since I’ve found it. Cannot emphasize it enough and amazing would be an understatement. 😊
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Strange coincidence. We have so many favourite painters in common, and my first name is Byron. (I even write poetry once in a while.)
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Well then you have a good taste 😉
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