Tragedy for Agamemnon, who is murdered by his wife, and his son Orestes murdered her (his mother), her lover, their daughter and son.
West
Throughout the 19th century, as going to the beach became more popular, adults at least only bared essentials, and even covered arms and legs.
In the Roman arena, with a runaway slave, sparing the life of Daniel, at the feet of St Jerome and St Rufina, and snoring gently on the rug.
With Greek defeat imminent, Patroclus dons Achilles’ armour and puts the Trojans to rout. He chases them to the city’s gate, where he’s killed by Hector.
Zeus, disguised as a gander, raped Nemesis, who laid Helen as an egg. She became step-sister of Castor and Polydeuces, and went on to be abducted by Paris as Aphrodite’s bribe.
A summary history from 1700 to the 20th century, with examples of major paintings, and links to each of the detailed articles in this series.
Ignored bodies, a complex chain from the head of John the Baptist, and Velazquez’s royal portrait which omits the King and Queen,
For 20 years, Boydell’s Shakespeare Gallery tried to establish an English School of History Painting. Or was it just a ploy to make money from prints?
How West failed in his aim of bringing a revolution to history painting by depicting ‘modern history’, and was repeatedly upstaged by others.
His early ambition was to be a history painter. After studying in Rome, when he was on his way back to the US, he stopped off in London. For nearly sixty years.
The Eclectic Light Company 