A pop song, a Shakespearean heroine and an Art Nouveau painting: Taylor Swift's music video for her number-one hit "The Fate of Ophelia" has caused a rush of visitors to the Hessian State Museum in Wiesbaden.
Hundreds of additional guests visited the museum last weekend, a museum spokeswoman said. The goal of many Swifties: an Art Nouveau painting of Ophelia, Hamlet's beloved in Shakespeare's play of the same name.
In the opening scene of the video for the song “The Fate of Ophelia” Swift slips into the role of Ophelia and becomes a living painting. Which artwork served as the template for the video is not officially known, according to the museum.
However, a direct comparison shows a strong resemblance to a painting by Art Nouveau painter Friedrich Heyser from the Wiesbaden Museum's collection, says museum director Andreas Henning. The pose, the white gown, and even the background appear to be inspired by Heyser's work. Henning says he would love to show the original painting to Taylor Swift in person.
Main Image: Friedrich Wilhelm Theodor Heyser, Ophelia, um 1900. Museum Wiesbaden, Sammlung F.W. Neess (Foto: Markus Bollen)