George Frederick Watts, 1817 - 1904
UNDINE
Oil on panel
24 1/4 by 23 3/4 in., 61.6 by 60.3 cm
Private collection
During the nineteenth century the book was very popular. The story is descended from Melusine, the French folk-tale of a water-sprite who marries a knight on condition that he shall never see her on Saturdays, when she resumes her mermaid shape. It was also inspired by works by the occultist Paracelsus. More on Udine
George Frederic Watts OM RA (London 23 February
1817 – 1 July 1904) was a popular
English Victorian painter and sculptor associated with the Symbolist movement.
He said "I paint ideas, not things." Watts became famous in his
lifetime for his allegorical works, such as Hope and Love and Life. These
paintings were intended to form part of an epic symbolic cycle called the
"House of Life", in which the emotions and aspirations of life would
all be represented in a universal symbolic language. More on George Frederic
Luca Giordano, called Luca Fa Presto
VENUS AT VULCAN'S FORGE
signed on the rock lower center: .LG. (in ligature)
oil on canvas
70 1/8 by 89 7/8 in.; 180 by 228.3 cm.
Private collection
The scene is set in the "underground cavern and galleries leading from [Mount] Etna" on the island of Sicily, the location of Vulcan's forge, as described in the Aeneid (8.370-453). Here, Vulcan-- the god of fire and metalworking—engages in discourse with his wife Venus as he and his workers create what will become arms that she will later give to her mortal son Aeneas. At Venus’ side is Cupid, who clings to her for protection amidst the fire and cacophony of sound. More on this painting
Luca Giordano (18 October 1634 – 12 January
1705) was an Italian late Baroque painter and printmaker in
etching. Fluent and decorative, he worked successfully in Naples and Rome,
Florence and Venice, before spending a decade in Spain.
Born in
Naples, Giordano was the son of the painter Antonio Giordano. In around 1650 he
was apprenticed to Ribera, and his early work was heavily influenced by his
teacher. Like Ribera, he painted many half-length figures of philosophers,
either imaginary portraits of specific figures, or generic types.
He
acquired the nickname Luca fa presto, which translates into "Luca paints
quickly." His speed, in design as well as handiwork, and his versatility,
which enabled him to imitate other painters deceptively, earned for him two
other epithets, "The Thunderbolt" (Fulmine) and "The
Proteus" of painting.
Following a period studying in Rome, Parma and Venice,
Giordano developed an elaborate Baroque style fusing Venetian and Roman
Influences. His mature work combines the ornamental pomp of Paul Veronese with
the lively complex schemes, the "grand manner", of Pietro da Cortona.
He is also noted for his lively and showy use of colour. More Luca Giordano
Frederic, Lord Leighton, P.R.A., 1830-1896
VENUS AND CUPID
oil on canvas
58 by 18 3/4 in., 147.3 by 47.6 cm
Private collection
Venus and Love/ Venus and Cupid. Different
tales exist about the origin of Venus and Cupid. Some say that Venus, the
goddess of love and beauty, had a love affair with Mars, the god of war. Out of
this relationship, Cupid was born.
Cupid has
attributes from both of his parents. Like his mother he is considered to be the
god of love, or more precisely, the god of falling in love. He is portrayed as
an innocent little child with bow and arrows. He shoots arrows to the heart,
and awakening a love that you’re powerless to resist.
Venus and Cupid are often shown in intimate poses,
reflecting the unique love between mother and child. More Venus and
Love
Frederic, Lord Leighton, P.R.A., 1830-1896
VENUS AND CUPID
Detail
Frederic Leighton, 1830–1896, British, English. (Born
Scarborough, 3 December 1830; died London, 25 January 1896). English
painter, draughtsman, and occasional sculptor, one of the dominant figures of
late Victorian art. He travelled widely in Europe as a boy and his artistic
education was gained principally in Frankfurt, Rome, and Paris. It was not
until 1859 that he settled in England, but he had earlier made his name with
Cimabue's Celebrated Madonna is Carried in Procession through the Streets of
Florence, which he painted in Rome: it was exhibited at the 1855 Royal Academy
exhibition and bought by Queen Victoria (it is now on loan from the Royal
Collection to the National Gallery, London).
From the
mid-1860s he enjoyed a level of worldly success. He became president of the
Royal Academy in 1878, was made a baronet in 1886, and a few days before he
died was raised to the peerage, the first (and so far only) British artist to
be so honoured.
He is best known for his paintings of classical Greek subjects,
the finest of which are distinguished by magnificently opulent colouring as
well as splendid draughtsmanship. As a sculptor his output was small. The
finished life-size bronze is in Tate Britain and there are various smaller
models and versions, including one in Leighton House, the sumptuously decorated
house and studio he built in the fashionable Holland Park area of London, now a
museum dedicated to him. More Frederic
Leighton
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