Art Blogging: Herbert James Draper

Herbert James Draper (1863-1920) was a British Neoclassical painter. Born in London, he was initially educated at St. John's Wood Art School (the cradle of the pre-Raphaelite movement) and then at the Royal Academy. Draper traveled in France and Italy before returning to London to earn a successful living as a portraitist for the upper classes. He was most productive in the 1890s and highly sought-after while living but, contrary to proverbial wisdom, his reputation collapsed after his death.



Lament for Icarus, housed in a private collection, is perhaps his most famous work. It won the Gold Metal in 1900 at the Exposition Universelle. Like most of his non-portraiture, it has a mythological theme, featuring the dying, foolhardy young Icarus. What I like about this painting is its dark, passionate coloration found among the pre-Raphaelites, but without that movement's characteristic flatness. It would seem that Draper was a bridge between dying Neoclassicism and emerging pre-Raphaelitism.





The modern revival of Neoclassicism is in large part due, I suspect, to the demands of popular taste. These seem to have swung away from Abstraction (no offense intended toward its defenders) and toward more realistic yet fanciful works found among the Neoclassicists and pre-Raphaelites. Waterbaby (right) is characteristic of this trend. I've often found it in bins of prints at Hobby Lobby, Michael's, and similar stores where the middle classes seek out prints to hang on their walls.

I'm going to mix metaphors here, but this painting reminds me of The Andy Griffith Show. That program is my father's favorite because after long days of working and facing stress, he doesn't want entertainment that is profound or has some deep message. He just wants to relax and be entertained. Waterbaby is like that: pretty, playful, and essentially meaningless. Good art doesn't necessarily have to do anything more than be pretty. That's why Neoclassicism is experiencing revival. It may be a movement with moments of profundity, but its core value is beauty, which is what the common man values in art.