Being that St. Patrick's Day - March 17th - is coming right up, I thought I'd focus today on Victorian painter Frederick William Burton (1819 - 1900), who was born in Corofin, County Clare, Ireland.
Burton painted one of the most iconic romantic images in art history: The Meeting on the Turret Stairs. A scene from Danish folklore, the painting depicts the final meeting of the tragic lovers, Hellelil and Hildebrand - a work that seethes with emotion and forbidden passion.
An interesting note: Burton painted almost exclusively in pastels or watercolor though his work often looks like oil. Remarkably, he painted entirely with his left hand, as his right hand and arm hurt in a childhood accident, were practically useless.
Find out more:
Read about Irish artist Frederick William Burton, here .
Burton painted one of the most iconic romantic images in art history: The Meeting on the Turret Stairs. A scene from Danish folklore, the painting depicts the final meeting of the tragic lovers, Hellelil and Hildebrand - a work that seethes with emotion and forbidden passion.
An interesting note: Burton painted almost exclusively in pastels or watercolor though his work often looks like oil. Remarkably, he painted entirely with his left hand, as his right hand and arm hurt in a childhood accident, were practically useless.
Find out more:
Read about Irish artist Frederick William Burton, here .
Lovely painting, beautiful colors. Had not heard of this artist nor this legend, but I hate to hear of doomed lovers.
ReplyDeleteAll these legends seem to come to an unhappy end, Kathy. I think 'happy endings' don't get made into legends. :)
ReplyDeleteI love this painting. SO romantic.
Beautiful - and funny that I´d learn about this Danish legend here :D
ReplyDeleteI love it. I love the color of her gown and the way the sleeves seem to have such movement in them.
ReplyDeleteDorte: You just never know what you're going to pick up on my blog. Ha! Truth be known, I'd never heard of this legend either. According to what I read, Hildebrand goes on to slay 7 of Hellelil's brothers (!) while then being slain himself by the youngest.
ReplyDeleteRyan: Yes, a gorgeous drawing. From what I understand, Burton was a meticulous craftsman. He made several sketches for this painting. Sketches which are still around today.
ReplyDeleteI've also always admired this work, Yvette. I did not know the legend behind it or the bio of the painter ...fascinating!
ReplyDeletePat: Yes, I didn't know the name of the artist until recently. I didn't even know, first time around, that the paiting was not an oil. Beautiful work.
ReplyDelete