This is the fourth post in a seven-day series on my favorite artists and their works. Today's featured artist is Lawrence Alma-Tadema (1836-1912), a Dutch Neoclassicist who began drawing realistically at the age of four. He studied at Antwerp and eventually moved to Britain, where he spent most of his professional life (hence his anglicized name).Alma-Tadema lived and painted as the Neoclassical age came to a close. Typical of the Victorian Neoclassicists, he painted breezy, ethereal portraits of the fabled, idyllic life of ancient Greece and Rome. Alma-Tadema's world is one of warm, sunny days on the porch, languishing with one's friends, pondering adoring lovers, and attending public spectacles.
"Ask Me No More", pictured to the right, is an example of his classical idealism. The young man seeks, the lady resists -- sort of. She protests his entreaties weakly, yearning to give in. "Marry me," he says. Eventually, she will say yes.
1 comment:
Thank you!
I find art -- particularly the visual arts -- emotionally invigorating.
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