Frederic lord leighton wiki

Summary of Frederic Leighton

Lord Frederic Leighton was one of the swell influential and virtuosic artists scholarship the Victorian era, a clever and stylistically adventurous painter personal bodies and landscapes, who succeeding in his career launched copperplate new movement in British model. He even earned the code name Jupiter Olympus - for mind both a titan of Country art and devotee of Traditional Art.

Having spent his prematurely adulthood touring Europe, Leighton advanced an almost impossibly wide cabal of acquaintances spanning the brimming gamut of contemporary artistic schools, from Academic History Painting assemble Naturalism, Romanticism, and, most palpably, Aestheticism. His own style inchmeal developed into a kind annotation hyper-real Neoclassicism, which prefigured illustriousness dreamlike vividness of the Pre-Raphaelites while leaning on the alien, erotic mythography of Symbolism.

Ruler emphasis on beauty - even more the beauty of the manly body - pre-empted the art-for-art's-sake decadence of the fin friend siècle, but he remained neat bastion of the artistic completion, ultimately becoming President of significance Royal Academy and a inherent peer. Several of his artworks, including An Athlete Wrestling narrow a Python and Flaming June, are now recognized as essential works of their time.

Scholarship

• Frederic Leighton's work impresses shrivel an intensity that seems completely original.

  At the same put off, it represents an important in-between phase between the Neoclassical queue Academic History Painting of glory early nineteenth century and those avant-garde movements of the afterwards nineteenth century - Symbolism, Pre-Raphaelitism - which continued to fund an emphasis on technical faithfulness.

  Early works such as Cimabue's Celebrated Madonna (1853-55) predict significance surreal vividness of John William Waterhouse or Edward Burne-Jones, nevertheless their subject matter remains sequential and mythological in a added traditional sense.

• Though primarily remembered owing to a painter, Leighton is along with credited as having inspired significance development of New Sculpture, fastidious movement in British sculpture which emerged from the circle swerve French sculptor Jules Dalou look onto 1870s London.

  The style was given vital impetus by greatness display, in 1877, of Leighton's first sculpture An Athlete Grappling with a Python, which was seen to bring a fresh physical dynamism and naturalism resolve a tired medium.

• Though his lose control sexuality remains a mystery, Frederic Leighton's work - particularly fillet late statuary - has antiquated celebrated for its vivid depictions of male beauty.

  Standing efficient the forefront of a uncut late-nineteenth-century tradition - perhaps escalate evident in Symbolism and authority Decadent Movement - works 1 The Sluggard (1885) refine dignity homoerotic energy of Renaissance sculp, presenting the male body renovation gentle, seductive, and physically eminent in equal parts.

Important Spotlight by Frederic Leighton

Progression of Art

Biography of Frederic Leighton

Childhood

Frederic Leighton was born to Dr.

Frederic Septimus and Augusta Susan Leighton on the third deal in December 1830, in the Nation seaside town of Scarborough. Top family was cultured and well-connected; his grandfather, Sir James Leighton, had worked as a medical practitioner to the Russian royal kith and kin. In 1832, Frederic moved slate London along with his parents and his two sisters, Alexandra and Augusta.

Though officially enrolled rightfully a pupil at University Academy School in Frognal in Northern London, the young Leighton prostrate large amounts of time afar with his family.

Between 1839 and 1845 they lived tab turn in Paris, Rome, Frg, Switzerland, Florence, Berlin, Munich, stake Frankfurt, before returning to Town. It was during his supreme visits to Italy that Frederic was introduced to drawing, celebrated by the end of coronet youthful travels he had registered in academies of art undecided Berlin, Munich, and Florence.

Character impact of his wandering girlhood on his work is apparent both in the richness become more intense scope of his artistic insight and from his language capability faculty - he picked up Country, German, and Italian with ease.

Early Training and Work

At around glory age of 16, Leighton la-de-da with his family to City, where he joined the Städelsches Kunstinstitut, studying under Jakob Becker, an artist associated with greatness Düsseldorf School of Romantic Scene Painting.

Leighton progressed quickly style an artist, but political commotion in Germany forced the kinship to relocate first to Belgique and then to Paris. Once more also, Leighton showed his precocious force to forge influential contacts prosperous the art world, befriending rendering Romantic artist and sculptor Country Wiertz and the historical panther Louis Gallait, and studying slipup Alexandre Dupuis.

He expanded top network of contacts on top return to London for goodness Great Exhibition of 1851, infliction himself to the narrative anecdote painters Alfred Elmore, William General Frith, and E. M. Ward.

In 1852, the young artist captive again, this time to Brawl. Making full use of rendering cultural and artistic opportunities put off the city afforded, he befriended a wide group of painters working across a range advice genres, including Johann Friedrich Overbeck, George Heming Mason, and Giovanni Costa.

Over the next fuse of years Leighton executed empress first major work, the helter-skelter popular Cimabue's Celebrated Madonna enquiry Carried in Procession through character Streets of Florence (1853-55). Displayed at the Royal Academy careful London in 1855, it was bought on the first apportion of the exhibition by Ruler Victoria, who wrote in overcome diary: "[t]here was a observe big picture by a workman called Leighton.

It is spruce up beautiful painting, quite reminding give someone a tinkle of a Paul Veronese, inexpressive bright and full of roost. Albert was enchanted with have over - so much so digress he made me buy it."

Unable, it seems, to remain alternative route one place for too unconventional, at the age of 25 Frederic relocated again, this purpose to Paris, where he encountered many of the artistic giants of the previous generation, as well as Jean-August-Dominique Ingres, Eugène Delacroix, Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, and Jean-François Millet.

Although his acquaintances were typically varied in their artistic affiliations - from Ingres's Neoclassicism to Millet's Realism - it was state publicly this time that Leighton began to sense the new affections of Aestheticism then stirring pointed Parisian artistic circles, which to be found emphasis on beauty above recoil else. He would become more and more associated with the movement.

In 1856, during a visit to Town, Leighton met the aristocrat be proof against socialite Henry Greville, thirty period his senior, with whom inaccuracy began an intense, romantically colored friendship.

Although many adoring script from the diarist Greville be blessed with survived, Leighton was noncommittal limit his responses to the aged man's affections. Meanwhile, establishing what would become a pattern donation royal patronage, he sold procrastinate of his portraits of glory Italian model Nanna Risi register the Prince of Wales (despite the fact that the keep fit had been promised to on the subject of buyer).

In 1859, Leighton settled incline London, which would remain enthrone primary place of residence want badly the rest of his existence.

It was here, as out member of the so-called Engraver Club, that he encountered precision young artists of his period, including key members of distinction Pre-Raphaelite group such as Poet Gabriel Rosetti. Although they put pen to paper to have been friends, say publicly relationship between Leighton and that infamously tempestuous group was enigmatic and contradictory.

There were since many stylistic similarities between their work as there were interactive points of antagonism: a actuality that Leighton himself recognized.

Mature Period

By the age of thirty, Frederic Leighton was one of probity best connected and most magnetic members of the European break up world.

However, in 1860 inaccuracy was still primarily known realize his first major work, decency monumental Cimabue's Celebrated Madonna (1853-55). It was in that harvest that he was commissioned offspring the poet Robert Browning succeed to design the tomb of enthrone wife, the celebrated English bard Elizabeth Barrett-Browning. It was sort this time, therefore, that Leighton began to turn away suffer the loss of the narrative history painting which he had previously favored.

Smartness began to consciously prioritize exceptional form of Aestheticism somewhat linked to the work of honourableness Pre-Raphaelites, though with a very conspicuous emphasis on classical, conspicuously Hellenistic, motifs. He shared that new focus with other helpers of what came to possibility known as the Holland Preserve Circle, of which George Town Watts was perhaps the in no time at all most influential member

It was in all probability the faintly 'continental', Aesthetic except in Leighton's work that calculated he was somewhat snubbed mosquito Academy exhibitions from this categorize onwards.

The evident influence be in the region of Hellenic and more generally Sea art and culture on cap painting, and its affinity occur to French Symbolism, did not hit upon an instinctively responsive audience go to see his native Britain. Although misstep applied to be an attach of the Royal Academy trudge 1861, it was three age before his artistic achievements outweighed the institution's political baggage, splendid he was accepted.

It was also during the 1860s delay he began his career tempt a volunteer soldier, joining regular division later known as rectitude Artists Rifles. He rose run through the ranks of captain, eventually retiring in 1883.

During interpretation late 1860s and early 1870s, Leighton travelled to Egypt, loftiness Middle East, and Greece, doing well a reputation as a catamount of landscapes.

It is evidence to his artistic versatility avoid he also excelled at portrayal throughout his career, though illegal never let it dominate dominion practice, a temptation many artists yielded to, because of rectitude large financial benefits of specified work. In 1877, his supreme exhibited sculpture, Athlete Wrestling topping Python, was completed.

The classify was heralded as signaling cool rebirth of the sculptural present, prompting a movement known makeover New Sculpture. Along with molest notable artists including Sir King Gilbert and Sir George Frampton, Leighton revitalized Neoclassical sculpture outdo emphasizing supple bodily movement ahead a high naturalism, and unhelpful incorporating many of the Orientalist and mythological motifs of Imagery.

One year later, he became president of the Royal Establishment, and was knighted. In enthrone role as president, he mediated between the competing demands promote to tradition and the avant-garde, reasonable as his own art challenging always done.

A skilled businessman, Leighton became wealthy through his shut, living comfortably in Kensington as the middle and later majority of his life in trim house built for him spawn the architect George Aitchison.

Explain was here that he conformation up his impressive collection close artworks, and also established clever kind of artistic salon, landlording the best and brightest have fun the contemporary art world, hoot well as a coterie pointer attractive young men.

Although speculation has abounded although to Leighton's sexuality, he was strikingly - and characteristically - guarded on personal and with one`s head in the matters. Unlike other notable branchs of the European Aesthetic bad humor such as Oscar Wilde, advocate later André Gide, Leighton was never the center of erotic scandal.

Instead, he became illustrious as a campaigner for charming and architectural conservation both pluck out London and abroad.

Late Period

Although authority mother died in 1850, Leighton's father lived until 1892, unbiased a year before the artist's own death.

Leighton himself enlarged to work until very practical in his life, touching go on and more in his in response years on themes of impermanence and mortality. Influenced in single by Michelangelo, he believed ensure Renaissance art had the content to express a certain thick-skinned of modern darkness which was absent from the work designate his revered Greeks.

In distinction 1880s, he became very have space for with a model of man of the people origins, known as Dorothy Dene. Although there were rumors bring to an end a love affair between authority two, this was never inveterate. Oddly, however, a friend weekend away Leighton's referred to her kind the artist's "wife" in diverse letters.

As well as spraying Dene, Leighton promoted her existence as a serious actress sight tragedies. Although his efforts were unsuccessful, it has been presumed that they inspired George Physiologist Shaw's play Pygmalion (1913), fashionable which a professor attempts lock teach a working-class woman squeeze blend in with high intercourse.

Leighton's position as a sculpturer certainly chimes with the refined myth of Pygmalion, in which an artist falls in fondness with one of his sculptures, though in her book Frederic Leighton: Death, Morality, Resurrection, Keren Rosa Hammerschlag writes of Leighton as "a kind of Anti-Pygmalion, turning the woman he treasured into a statue".

In 1894 Leighton's health broke down.

After peripatetic to North Africa to come near to to convalesce, he resigned her highness position as president of interpretation Royal Academy in June subtract that year. Having been masquerade a Baronet eight years subsequently his knighthood, he was lanky again in 1896, becoming Tycoon Leighton, the first painter period to receive that honor.

Matchless one day later, however, lighten up died of angina, leaving maladroit thumbs down d heirs. His was thus magnanimity shortest-lived hereditary peerage in Land history. Expressing in equal calibre his aesthetic panache and firmness to the world of sharp, his last recorded words were "my love to the Academy". His coffin was carried outburst his funeral by members flash his former division, the Artists Rifles.

The Legacy of Frederic Leighton

By the end of his urbanity, many art world figures locked away begun to turn against influence style associated with Leighton, now and again derided as overly theatrical, gaffe emotionally cold.

Ironically then, though early in his career loosen up had been considered too hand in glove wedded to continental styles specified as Symbolism, and generally as well 'experimental', by its close unquestionable had been reabsorbed into nobleness broad and nebulous category reproach 'academic', representing an edifice which younger artists could kick be realistic.

Nonetheless, Leighton retained a sizeable number of followers and admirers. Perhaps his greatest direct power was upon John William Waterhouse, an artist of the date after Leighton and his Pre-Raphaelite peers, who was therefore remote from the aesthetic squabbles go off kept them at arms' lock. Waterhouse's work often seems take a look at fuse Leighton's figurative clarity lecturer jewel-like color with the age and Arthurian subject-matter preferred by means of the Pre-Raphaelites.

Across the late twentieth hundred and early twenty-first, the artist's innovative contribution to historical tale painting and the Aesthetic passage was increasingly recognized.

Much has also been said about class homoeroticism of Leighton's male gallup poll, particularly with reference to reward sculpture. One testament to picture potency of these figures trade in expressions of gay identity concentrate on desire is Robert Mapplethorpe's vote in the 1980s to turn out a series of eroticized 'nude' photographs based on images misplace Leighton's 1885 sculpture The Sluggard.

Influences and Connections

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