Oil on canvas, 24 × 18 inches plus hand-finished frame

32 x 25 inches (including frame)
£5,800

Inspired by Emily Brontë’s poem The Philosopher, this painting reflects the poet’s line, “The eternal silence of the heart, how full of yearning pain…”

The work alludes to a moment of quiet suspension between presence and absence, with the seated figure attended by a spectral companion.

The subtle palette, intricate detail, and bespoke hand-finished frame make this a complete and museum-ready piece. Both elegiac and consoling, the painting offers a meditation on mortality, memory, and unseen presences — an image as much felt as seen.

“The eternal silence of the heart!
How full of yearning pain—
For all who never more depart,
And never more complain.”

Emily Brontë’s meditation on mortality and release lends this painting its title, evoking the hush of longing, stillness, and unseen presence.