Inspiration #5

Sir Frank Dicksee
(1853-1928)
Sir Frank Dicksee is one of my favourite artists. He was a painter and an illustrator in late Victorian England, and has been associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. Even though he was not part of the brotherhood, his paintings share some characteristics of the Pre-Raphaelite paintings: intense and rich colors, complex composition and details, and like many of the Pre-Raphaelite painters, he recreated scenes from history, legends and literature in his painting. He also painted many stunning portraits of huntingly beautifull and fashionable women, women who are both sensual and angelic at the same time. He has also illustrated editions of Longfellow's Evangeline, Shakespeare's Othello and Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet. I love the movement and fluidity of his painting, the passion and the emotions. Every little piece tells a story, and you can find new details to the story every time you take a look. My favorite is La Belle Dame Sans Merci, a capture of a ballad by the ever so lovely John Keats, which also have been captured by several other artists (like John William Waterhouse and Frank Cadogan Cowper). Other pieces I love more than others are The Foolish Virgins, Startled, Chivalry, Paolo and Francesca, Two Crowns, Miranda, Oriental Pastime and A Portrait of a Lady. The light, details and colors are stunning!

Paintings from top to bottom:
1. Dawn (1897). 2. The Magic Crystal (1894). 3. Cleopatra. 4. Romeo & Juliet. 5. The Foolish Virgins (1883). 6. Startled (1892). 7. Portrait of Dora. 8. The End of the Quest (1921). 9. Portrait of the Artist's Niece, Dorothy (1917). 10. Camille, Daughter of Sutton Palmer (1914). 11. The Emblem. 12. Romeo & Juliet (1876). 13. Spring Maiden (1884). 14. Chivalry (1885). 15. Elsa (1927). 16. The Symbol (1881). 17. Mother (1907). 18. Two Crowns (1900). 19. Portrait of a Lady. 20. Miranda (1878). 21. Unknown. 22. Oriental Pastime. 23. The Mirror (1896). 24. The Duet. 25. Passion/Leila (1892). 26. La Belle Dame Sans Merci (1902). 27. An Offering (1898). 28. Crisis (1891). 29. Confession (1896). 30. Paolo and Francesca (1894)

(pictures from Art Renewal Center, ArtMagic and Illusions Gallery)