Nature, Science, and Myth in the Landscape Art of Frederic Leighton
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24310/Eviternare.v0i3.8163Keywords:
Frederic Leighton, Landscape, Open-air painting, Plein air painting, Science, Mythography, Nineteenth centuryAbstract
Frederic Leighton is mostly recognised as President of the Royal Academy in the latter half of the nineteenth century, exhibiting large scale figurative paintings of a high degree of finish. Scholarship has, however, overlooked his plein air paintings created during his frequent voyages to Italy, Spain, Egypt and Greece, to name a few. As Leighton’s oil sketches comprised of over 200 canvases and boards, their significance to his oeuvre is paramount and needs to be clearly articulated. Using the example of An Outcrop in the Campagna, this article explores how the three aspects – nature, science and myth – merged in Leighton’s vision of landscape. The painting’s composition and technique are examined, as well as the influence of Leighton’s circle, exemplified by Giovanni Costa and the Etruscan School of Art. Finally, Victorian solar physics and thermodynamics are presented as an important context for the symbolic dimension of Leighton’s landscapes.
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