“Idyll”
For today, something peaceful and tranquil…
This lovely oil on canvas painting is by the English academic and aesthetic artist, Frederic Leighton. It is titled “Idyll” and dates to 1880 to 1881, which was later in his career. Leighton’s depiction of beautiful subjects in classical dress against a bucolic landscape show why Leighton was considered a master in his time.
This piece, painted in the neoclassical style, recalls the idyllic memories of the splendors of ancient Greece. Two young women are lounging below the branches of a tree watching a young man play the flute, all against an expansive horizontal vista.
The name and subject of the painting were inspired by the Idylls of Theocritus, a collection of 30 poems written in the third century B.C. by the Greek bucolic poet, Theocritus. The bucolic poets often set their stories in the countryside with herdsmen playing the prominent male roles.
In the painting, the clothes that Leighton put on the man to the left suggests that he was a shepherd. The women on the right are interpreted as nymphs. The lady on the far right was modeled after Lillie Langtry, a famous nineteenth century actress renown for her beauty.
“Idyll” is currently in the private collection of art collectors, Mr. and Mrs. Henry Keswick.
For more on Frederic Leighton, please visit his short biography here.
You can find more artists to learn about here.
