The heavily embroidered story of Cossack hetman Ivan Mazepa was turned into a narrative poem by Lord Byron, and inspired paintings by Géricault, Delacroix, Vernet, and others.
Chassériau
A story of jealousy, adultery, treachery and race, which resulted in an early professional actress in a lead, and the first major lead for a black actor.
Its two scenes with witches are most famous, and often confused. There’s more to this play, though, and other scenes in fine paintings.
Escorts of valkyries, the bird of the gibbet, and seeker of carrion: crows and ravens are associated with death, magic, and more.
Born 200 years ago today, he should have been one of the major artists of the 19th century, but died when he had only just turned 37.
A pupil of JAD Ingres when he was only 11 years old, his first work exhibited at the Salon when he was only 16: a precocious and brilliant narrative artist.
Plans to celebrate anniversaries of major painters, series on narrative paintings, and more, for the coming year.
An odd story about the leader of the Ukrainian Cossacks and his youthful indiscretion becomes a poem by Byron, and finally burlesque titillation.
Paintings by Rubens, Rembrandt, Jordaens, Chassériau, von Stuck and Lovis Corinth give slightly different accounts of this story.
Although intricate in their detail, none of these paintings is larger than 90 cm in either dimension – and several are quite painterly in a miniature way.
The Eclectic Light Company 