The Fascination of Flaming June

The Metropolitan Museum of Art ^ | August 23, 2023 | Alison Hokanson, Assistant Curator, Department of European Paintings

[SunkenCiv]

Flaming June triumphed at exhibition in 1895, but its moment in the sun was short. Leighton's death the following year heralded the end of an era. As Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, and abstraction gained prominence in Europe and the United States, the artistic vision that he proposed came to be seen by many curators, scholars, and critics as outmoded and sentimental. Flaming June seemed superficial and vapid, an invocation of sensibilities that no longer rang true; the painting fell into obscurity. We do not know where it was from 1930 until 1962, when it resurfaced on the art market without its original frame. The painting was bought from London dealer Jeremy Maas by Luis A. Ferré in 1963, for £2,000, or about $5,600. By comparison, Cézanne's Bathers, now at The Met, sold the same year for $105,000.

[A_perfect_lady]

That was a good read. I wouldn’t have even noticed the abnormally long thigh if I hadn’t read it, but now I can see it. I have a print of the Waterhouse painting “Circe Invidiosa,” and he had the same approach to proportion. When I look at it, I can see that her hip and her knee are too far apart. Either her hip is too high, or her knee is too low... but it’s still a beautiful painting.

[SunkenCiv]

He may have preferred a model with that proportion. :^)

[left that other site]

Jewish Home in Damascus

One of my favorites by him.