Lord Leighton's Flaming June comes to The Frick Collection in NYC!
Frederic Leighton (1830–1896), Flaming June, ca. 1895. Oil
on canvas. Museo de Arte de Ponce.
Future Exhibition
Leighton’s Flaming June
June 9, 2015 to September 6, 2015
At the end of his career, the British artist Frederic
Leighton painted the now-iconic image of a sleeping woman in a vivid orange
gown. This nineteenth-century masterpiece embodies the modern philosophy of
“art for art’s sake,” the belief that the value of art lies in its aesthetic
qualities rather than in its subject matter. The sensuously draped figure —
freed from any narrative context — is integrated into a harmonious ensemble of
rhythmic lines and radiant color. On loan from the Museo de Arte de Ponce in
Puerto Rico, Flaming June makes its first public appearance in New York
City, exhibited alongside the Frick’s four full-length portraits by James
McNeill Whistler, another major proponent of “art for art’s sake.”
This exhibition is organized by Susan Grace Galassi, Senior
Curator at The Frick Collection, and will be accompanied by an illustrated
catalogue with essays by Galassi and by Pablo Pérez d’Ors, Associate Curator of
European Art, Museo de Arte de Ponce. The exhibition is made possible by
The Peter Jay Sharp Foundation and Mr. and Mrs. Juan A. Sabater. (The Frick Collection)
For more information, The Frick Collection
This has always been one of my most favorite paintings. I have a small canvas gold framed on my wall in my livingroom. The colors are so absolutely beautiful; the soft aqua blue, oranges, whites and yellows, deep browns, all combining beautifully for one gorgeously serene depiction of a woman sleeping.
Comments
And not only because the value of art lies in its aesthetic qualities rather than in its subject matter. There is something so peaceful and feminine about this work - the lines are gorgeous and the colours rich. And because Leighton does his typical water view and flowery background.