Lawrence Alma Tadema: Spring
LAWRENCEALMA TADEMASpring
LAWRENCEALMA TADEMASpringLouise LippincottGETTYMUSEUMSTUDIESON ARTM A L I B U ,C A L I F O R N I A1990
1991 The J. Paul Getty Museum17985 Pacific Coast HighwayM a l i b u , California 90265-5799M a i l i n g Address:P.O. Box 2112Santa Monica, California 90407-2112Library of CongressCataloging-in-Publication DataLippincott, Louise, 1953—Lawrence Alma Tadema : Spring / Louise Lippincott.p.cm. — (Getty Museum studies on art)Includes bibliographical references (p.).I S B N 0-89236-186-71. Alma-Tadema, Lawrence, Sir, 183 6-1912. Spring. 2. AlmaTadema, Lawrence, Sir, 1836-1912—Criticism and interpretation.I . Title. I I . Series.ND497.A4A755 1991759.2—dc2o90-49669CIPCover, foldout: L A W R E N C E A L M A T A D E M A(British, 1836-1912). Spring, 1895. O i l oncanvas, 178.4x80 cm(701/4x 311/2in.). M a l i b u , J.Paul Getty Museum 72.PA.3.Frontispiece: L A W R E N C E A L M A T A D E M A .Self-Portrait, 1896. O i l on canvas, 65.7x 53.5 cm(251/2x 21 in.). Florence, Galleria degli Uffizi.A l l photographs are reproduced courtesy of theowners and institutions w i t h the followingexceptions: frontis. (The Bridgeman Library,London); figs. 3 (Hanover Studios, London); 4( Elke Walford); 5, 25 (Alinari/Art Resource,N e w York [Anderson]); 7 (Walker A r t Gallery,Liverpool; photo: John M i l l s ) ; 8 (photo: O. E.Nelson, N e w York); 13 (courtesy of Kurt E.Schon, Ltd.); 15 (courtesy of Christie, Manson &Woods, London); 19 (Walker A r t Gallery,Liverpool); 53 (courtesy of Sotheby's, NewYork); and 66 (courtesy of Academy of M o t i o nPicture Arts and Sciences).
C O N T E N T SA l m a Tadema and SpringSpring'sFestival710The I m p o r t a n c e of Details40A r t and Empire72Notes91Selected B i b l i o g r a p h y94Acknowledgments9 7
Alma Tadema and SpringSIRLAWRENCE A L M AT A D E M A (frontispiece) was a successful artist a n d afundamentally h a p p y m a n . B o r n i n p r o v i n c i a l H o l l a n d and t r a i n e d i n A n t w e r p , by theage of t h i r t y he h a d established his r e p u t a t i o n as a painter of ancient and medieval his tory. I n 1 8 7 0 he m o v e d t o L o n d o n , h o m e of his influential dealer, G a m b a r t , and mostof his w e a l t h y patrons. H a p p i l y m a r r i e d , satisfied w i t h his w o r k , successful i n his ca reer, loved by the p u b l i c , esteemed by fellow artists regardless of aesthetic rivalries, andr i c h enough t o afford l u x u r i e s — i f there was more t o w a n t f r o m life, A l m a Tademaseems n o t t o have missed it. H i s great passions were his p a i n t i n g , the decoration of hishouse, the p r o d u c t i v i t y of his garden, a n d music. Friends described his sense of h u m o ras ready, simple, even c h i l d i s h ; he was also obsessively neat. H i s politics were conser 1vative and i m p e r i a l i s t . T h e rise o f socialism, the g r o w i n g tensions between Europeanstates, the a l i e n a t i o n of the artistic avant-garde, the p l i g h t of the i n d u s t r i a l classes—such issues never clouded the aesthetic dreams A l m a Tadema lived and p a i n t e d .L i v i n g i n an artificial paradise o f his o w n creation, A l m a Tadema devotedm o s t of his career t o p a i n t i n g other ones. H i s paintings t h a t ostensibly represent scenesf r o m ancient R o m a n life are filled w i t h the prosperity, ease, sociability, amenities, a n dtidiness characteristic of his o w n w o r l d . They reflect n o t only his character and life style b u t also his love of his w o r k : the laying of p a i n t o n t o canvas.A l m a Tadema's paintings have always been n o t e d for their technical perfec t i o n , w e a l t h of detail, and careful finish. H e h a d the m i s f o r t u n e t o end his career asthese very qualities were being challenged by new styles and movements: Impression isma n d S y m b o l i s m ( w h i c h he admired) and Post-Impressionism a n d m o d e r n i s mFigure 1 . LAWRENCE A L M A T A D E M A . Spring, 1 8 9 5 . O i l3 i V z in.). M a l i b u , J. Paul Getty Museum 7 2 . P A . 3 .7o ncanvas, 1 7 8 . 4 x 8 0 cm ( 7 0 % x
( w h i c h he d i d n o t ) . T h e vogue for his p a i n t i n g h a d ended i n avant-garde circles by the2early 1880s; by the 1890s even his admirers w a n t e d m o r e poetry, fewer details, and anend t o antique fantasy. By then, however, A l m a Tadema had become a n a t u r a l i z e d B r i t ish citizen and member of the R o y a l Academy, and he was soon t o be k n i g h t e d . H i spaintings were collected by the wealthy and p o w e r f u l of Europe and A m e r i c a ; p r i n t safter t h e m were b o u g h t by the m i d d l e classes everywhere. H i s p o s i t i o n seemed u n shakable. Consequently, his fall, w h e n i t came, was a l l the m o r e d r a m a t i c . A l m a Tad ema died i n 1912, and his r e p u t a t i o n perished soon thereafter. C h a n g i n g styles o f art,changing tastes, and the effects of the First W o r l d W a r h a d m u c h t o do w i t h this.Spring(fig. 1, foldout) is a fine and i m p o r t a n t example of A l m a Tadema's art.T h e t a l l , n a r r o w p a i n t i n g , encased i n its t y p i c a l , ponderous frame inspired by classicalarchitecture and designed by the artist himself, was completed i n 1895 after four yearsof sporadic w o r k and at least one alteration. I t represents a procession w i n d i n g its w a yt h r o u g h the n a r r o w marble passageways of w h a t one m i g h t imagine t o be ancientR o m e . Y o u n g girls bear baskets of flowers, perhaps as an offering t o a g o d ; they areescorted by self-conscious maidens w i e l d i n g branches. T a m b o u r i n e and pipe playerslend cadence t o their steps. Behind t h e m the procession assumes a sacred character,w i t h bearers of chalice, casket, and i v o r y altar emerging f r o m the r i g h t . T h e populaceseems t o have t u r n e d o u t along the parade route i n a j u b i l a n t m o o d . T h e architectureand groups of figures p r o v i d e the basic structure of the c o m p o s i t i o n and are the key t othe painting's subject. H o w e v e r , color, life, and interest come f r o m the details t h a tcover its surface like fantastic e m b r o i d e r y o n a conventionally cut garment. Bits of col u m n s , bunches of flowers, glimpses of silver and bronze reveal A l m a Tadema's love of" w o r k " and his concentration o n small issues.Spring'sfate f o l l o w e d A l m a Tadema's o w n . E x h i b i t e d t o great effect at theR o y a l A c a d e m y i n 1895, reproduced i n thousands of p r i n t s , and sold at ever higherprices i n the decades preceding the First W o r l d War, i t vanished f r o m sight after theartist's m e m o r i a l e x h i b i t i o n i n 1913. I t reemerged i n Southern C a l i f o r n i a i n the 1970si n the w a k e of p u b l i c i t y s u r r o u n d i n g television personality A l l e n F u n t a n d his collec t i o n of w o r k s of art by "the w o r s t painter of the nineteenth century." Funt's c o l l e c t i n g38
of A l m a Tadema's w o r k , m o t i v a t e d , i t w o u l d seem, by aesthetic perversity, neverthelessc o i n c i d e d w i t h m o r e serious reevaluations o f nineteenth-century academic a r t l e d byuniversities a n d museums. N o t only A l m a Tadema b u t also his contemporaries such asthe French artist W i l l i a m A d o l p h e Bouguereau began t o attract widespread a t t e n t i o nand a d m i r a t i o n . I n 1972 Spring was purchased at a u c t i o n by the Getty M u s e u m aftersharp c o m p e t i t i o n f r o m F u n t , a n d i n 1974 i t t o o k its place i n the re-created R o m a n v i l l aconstructed t o house the o i l billionaire's g r o w i n g collections. T h e purchase was i n onesense a misguided one, for i t was t h o u g h t t h a t this V i c t o r i a n daydream w o u l d illustratethe realities of life i n ancient R o m e , something i t c o u l d n o t d o . Yet, i n another sense i t4was a b r i l l i a n t a c q u i s i t i o n , for Springr a p i d l y became, a n d has remained, the public'sfavorite w o r k o f a r t i n the M u s e u m . Steady interest i n the p a i n t i n g has s t i m u l a t e d ex tensive research i n t o its history, subject, c o m p o s i t i o n , a n d significance, so t h a t today i tcan b o t h be appreciated as a beautiful a n d engaging w o r k o f a r t a n d u n d e r s t o o d as apoetic statement o f late V i c t o r i a n idealism.9
Spring's FestivalA L M A T A D E M A ' S choice of a festival t o represent s p r i n g t i m e resulted f r o mseveral influences. One was the emphasis o n processional and r i t u a l i n the art and l i t erature of the Aesthetic M o v e m e n t i n B r i t a i n . A n o t h e r was the a b u n d a n t available doc u m e n t a t i o n concerning spring celebrations i n antique times. A t h i r d was the r i s i n gp o p u l a r i t y of s i m i l a r festivals i n late nineteenth-century L o n d o n . A n e x a m i n a t i o n ofSpring'ssources reveals t h a t its subject—apparently an obvious one—contains a r i c h ness of m e a n i n g w h i c h adds significantly t o one's enjoyment of the w h o l e .A l m a Tadema h a d t w o clues t o the painting's subject inscribed o n its magnif icent gilded frame. O n the t o p is w r i t t e n Spring,and o n the b o t t o m are four lines f r o ma p o e m by the great w r i t e r of the late V i c t o r i a n age, A l g e r n o n Charles S w i n b u r n e :In a land of clear colours and stories,In a region of shadowless hours,Where earth has a garment of gloriesAnd a murmur of musical flowers.A l m a Tadema o m i t t e d the rest of the verse, w h i c h continues:In woods where the spring half uncoversThe flush of her amorous face,By the waters that listen for lovers,For these is there place?5A l m a Tadema t o o k the verse f r o m a p o e m entitled " D e d i c a t i o n , " w h i c h S w i n b u r n e h a dw r i t t e n i n 1865 i n h o n o r of the painter E d w a r d Burne-Jones. Burne-Jones, a PreRaphaelite artist of great imaginative power, was a g o o d friend of A l m a Tadema de spite their m a r k e d l y different characters and artistic philosophies. T h e former, an as sociate of the R o y a l Academy, remained w e l l outside the B r i t i s h artistic establishment,10
Figure 2. J . E L M S L Y I N G L I S (British) afterLawrence Alma Tadema. Bookplate. Etch ing. Birmingham University Library, AlmaTadema Collection (uncatalogued).whereas the latter f o l l o w e d a conservative and practical course t o fame and f o r t u n e .H o w e v e r , b o t h artists a d m i r e d Swinburne's poetry, w h i c h h a d p r o v i d e d the l i t e r a r y i m petus for B r i t i s h aestheticism of the 1870s and '80s. The Aesthetic M o v e m e n t , o u t ofw h i c h Burne-Jones emerged as a leading painter and designer, h a d begun i n the 1870sas a reaction against the i n d u s t r i a l l y d r i v e n m a t e r i a l i s m of m i d c e n t u r y . The m o v e m e n td r e w i n s p i r a t i o n f r o m medieval arts and crafts as interpreted by the designer W i l l i a mM o r r i s ; f r o m the simple yet l u x u r i o u s fabrics i m p o r t e d f r o m the O r i e n t by the recentlyf o u n d e d L i b e r t y and C o m p a n y , L o n d o n ; and f r o m paintings and i n t e r i o r decorationsby the A m e r i c a n expatriate artist James A b b o t t M c N e i l l W h i s t l e r . M a n y o f its leaderswere as radical p o l i t i c a l l y and socially as they were artistically. As an A c a d e m i c i a n ,classicist, and L o n d o n socialite, A l m a Tadema never belonged t o the m o v e m e n t , al t h o u g h he a d m i r e d its leaders, shared their ideas o n i n t e r i o r design, and often e x h i b i t e dhis w o r k w i t h theirs. T h e i r influence o n his p a i n t i n g appears i n his preference for easilyII
Figure 3. E D W A R D B U R N E - J O N E S (British, 1 8 3 3 - 1 8 9 8 ) . Flora, orSpring,1 8 6 8 - 1 8 8 4 . O i l on canvas, 96.5 x 66 cm (38 x z 6 in.). London, Owen EdgarGallery.
Figure 4 . L A W R E N C E A L M A T A D E M A . The Vintage Festival, 1 8 7 0 . O i l on canvas, 7 7 x 1 7 7 cm(30V4X 68 Yz in.). Hamburg, Hamburger Kunsthalle 1906.grasped subjects, his beautiful settings and models, the absence of d r a m a t i c e m o t i o n a ldisplay, and his elegant color schemes.T h e use of literature t o evoke a m o o d rather t h a n structure a narrative was alsot y p i c a l of the Aesthetic M o v e m e n t . Swinburne's " D e d i c a t i o n , " w h i c h sets the m o o d6for Spring,is a b o u t beauty, decay, and the artist's melancholy task of describing beau t i f u l things before they are lost t o the forces of t i m e . Swinburne's final question—"Forthese is there place?"—is addressed t o the artist whose paintings are the "place" i nw h i c h evanescent beauty may be preserved. E m u l a t i n g Burne-Jones by r e i m a g i n i n g thepast, A l m a Tadema made Springthe "place" where the "clear colours," "shadowlessh o u r s , " flowers, and music of Swinburne's fleeting season were captured. T h e antiquesetting a n d details—standard i n the painter's w o r k — s e e m especially appropriate forSwinburne's nostalgic evocation o f bygone times. H o w e v e r , u n l i k e either S w i n b u r n eor Burne-Jones, A l m a Tadema was n o poet, n o r d i d he excel i n feats of i m a g i n a t i o n .H i s artistic c h a r a c t e r — o p t i m i s t i c , l i t e r a l - m i n d e d , careful, and d e s c r i p t i v e — c o u l d n o thave been further removed f r o m the r o m a n t i c a n d fantastical m e n t a l i t y o f Aesthetic13
Figure 5. Flamens and the Family of Augustus. Frieze from south side of the Ara PadsRoman, 1 3 - 9 B.C. Carrara marble.Augustae,M o v e m e n t artists. N o t surprisingly, he selected the only four lines of " D e d i c a t i o n "w h i c h m i g h t be considered cheerful. They are r e m a r k a b l y close t o his personal m o t t o ,"As the sun colours flowers, so art colors l i f e " (see fig. 2 ) , an altogether happier v i e w ofbeauty, art, and m o r t a l i t y t h a n those f o u n d i n S w i n b u r n e o r Burne-Jones.Consequently, w h i l e certain elements i n the p a i n t i n g and the p o e m seem t om a t c h o r overlap, Springis m u c h more the p r o d u c t of A l m a Tadema's spirit t h a n ofSwinburne's. T h e poet's aesthetic i m a g i n a t i o n gives w a y t o the painter's aesthetic ped antry. T h i s is i m m e d i a t e l y apparent i n A l m a Tadema's approach t o the subject.Whereas S w i n b u r n e visualized a pastoral landscape w i t h lovers, A l m a Tadema p a i n t e da r i t u a l procession t h r o u g h marble passageways. T h r o u g h o u t his career, he p o r t r a y e d14
Figure 6. W I L L I A M P O W E L L F R I T H (British, 1 8 1 9 - 1 9 0 9 ) . The Railway Station, 1 8 6 2 . O i l oncanvas, 116.8 x 256.5 cm (46 x 101 in.). Surrey, Royal Holloway College.Figure 7. F R E D E R I C K ,L O R D L E I G H T O N (British,1 8 3 0 - 1 8 9 6 ) . The Dapknepkoria,1874-1876. O i l on canvas, 2 2 6 x 5 1 8 . 2 cm ( 8 9 x 2 0 4 in.). National Museums and Galleries on Merseyside (Port Sunlight, Lady Lever A r t Gallery).
h i s t o r i c a l events, h u m a n passions, a n d even nature itself i n terms of rituals a n d cere monies. T h u s , he usually represented the changing of the seasons, one of his favoritethemes, n o t , as one m i g h t expect, by means of a landscape o r s y m b o l i c female figure(see fig. 3) b u t by some procession o r dance dedicated t o the antique deity associatedw i t h t h a t season. The Vintage Festival(1870; fig. 4) celebrating Bacchus a n d the endof summer was the first of numerous such processionals.T h e procession is one of the oldest and most h o n o r a b l e themes i n the h i s t o r yof art. Processions are f o u n d i n E g y p t i a n t o m b frescoes and o n Greek temple reliefs, o nR o m a n altars (see fig. 5) a n d i n Renaissance paintings. T h e i r i m p o r t a n c e i n art reflectstheir i m p o r t a n c e i n Western h i s t o r y ; processions celebrate the great religious a n d civicevents of their times. L i k e numerous other ancient t r a d i t i o n s , however, religious a n dcivic processions h a d gone i n t o p a r t i a l eclipse i n the first h a l f of the nineteenth century.Political r e v o l u t i o n , u r b a n i z a t i o n , and i n d u s t r i a l i z a t i o n h a d d i s r u p t e d the ancientcycles of feasts and anniversaries; other p o p u l a r entertainments such as theatrical pre sentations, expositions, and fairs p r o v i d e d c o m p e t i t i o n . I n E n g l a n d , Queen V i c t o r i a ' sc o r o n a t i o n i n 1837 was the last i m p o r t a n t state occasion for fifty years.By the 1890s, however, the governments of Europe h a d rediscovered the use fulness o f processions and were encouraging their revival. I n the cities, elaborate pa rades o f soldiery, royalty, and expensive equipages helped t o i n s t i l l p a t r i o t i c p r i d e i nthe hearts of the masses. I n the countryside, where t r a d i t i o n a l society was collapsing asa result of the i n d u s t r i a l i z a t i o n of agriculture, o l d and faintly disreputable customssuch as M a y festivals were revived i n an effort t o ease tensions. I n b o t h city a n d c o u n 7try, civic processions emphasized c o n t i n u i t y , stability, and social a n d p o l i t i c a l u n i t y —all h i g h l y desirable i n an age of s p r a w l i n g p o p u l a t i o n g r o w t h , extremes of w e a l t h a n dmisery, a n d constant p o l i t i c a l t u r m o i l . T h e most i m p o r t a n t state ceremonies of this pe r i o d i n E n g l a n d were Queen V i c t o r i a ' s jubilees celebrating the fiftieth a n d s i x t i e t h yearsof her reign ( i n 1887 a n d 1897), f o l l o w e d by numerous state weddings of her childrena n d g r a n d c h i l d r e n a n d frequent receptions for v i s i t i n g heads of state.8V i c t o r i a n artists seem t o have used processions i n a parallel manner: as ameans of o r d e r i n g a n d c o n t r o l l i n g c r o w d e d canvases. M i d c e n t u r y painters such as16
Figure 8. L A W R E N C E A L M A T A D E M A . On the Road to the Temple ofCeres: A Spring Festival, 1 8 7 9 . O i l on canvas, 89 x 53.1 cm (3 5 x zoVin.). New York, Forbes Magazine Collection.4
Figure 9. LAWRENCE A L M A T A D E M A . Spring, detail of procession.W i l l i a m Powell F r i t h (see fig. 6) depicted c o n t e m p o r a r y crowds i n a l l their splendidbustle and confusion, candidly representing confrontations between r i c h and p o o r ,h i g h and l o w , sophisticated L o n d o n e r and r o u g h p r o v i n c i a l . Later artists i n c l u d i n gA l m a Tadema himself (fig. 4) and Frederick, L o r d Leigh ton (see fig. 7), lined their char acters u p a c c o r d i n g t o age, sex, o r social f u n c t i o n , reformed their dress, idealized theirfeatures, and m a r c h e d t h e m off t o suitable destinations. The resulting sense of order,h a r m o n y , a n d grandeur satisfied b o t h artistic and p o l i t i c a l ideals.For a l o n g t i m e i t was believed t h a t the procession represented i n Spring18hon-
o r e d Ceres, a R o m a n f e r t i l i t y deity closely connected w i t h agriculture. T h e 1895 c o m 9p o s i t i o n appeared t o be a r e t h i n k i n g of a subject A l m a Tadema h a d first p a i n t e d i n1879 i n On the Roadto the Temple of Ceres: A SpringFestival(fig. 8). B o t h picturesare v e r t i c a l a n d depict musical maidens, garlanded revelers, and distant throngs of o n lookers. T h e later p a i n t i n g m i g h t represent the a
2 The vogue for his painting had ended in avant-garde circles by the early 1880s; by the 1890s even his admirers wanted more poetry, fewer details, and an end to antique fantasy. By then, however, Alma Tadema had become a naturalized Brit . hours," flowers, and music of Swinburne's fleeting season were captured. The antique
L05: 2 Nephi 1-8 L08: 2 Nephi 28-33 L09: Jacob 1-7 L10: Enos - Mosiah 3 L11: Mosiah 4-26 L12: Mosiah 27-Alma 7 L06: 2 Nephi 9-16 L13: Alma 8-16 L07: 2 Nephi 17-27 L14: Alma 17-29 FDREL 122 L01: Introduction L02: Alma 30-35 L08: 3 Nephi 12-17 L09: 3 Nephi 18-22 L03: Alma 36-42 L04: Alma 43-63 L10: 3 Nephi 23-30 L11: 4 Nephi - Mormon 9
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El Zohar son los secretos de como funcionan, en el hombre, los 5 niveles de alma. Nos va a estimular los cinco niveles de alma, esto es el Zohar. ¿Quien es capaz de estimular todos los niveles del alma? Nadie de este mundo. Porque el alma no es nada que se conozca desde el
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Lawrence Jacobs and Desmond King, eds. The Unsustainable American State. (New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2009). Lawrence D. Brown and Lawrence R. Jacobs. The Private Abuse of the Public Interest. (Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2008). Lawrence R. Jacobs and Theda Skocpol, eds. Inequality and American Democracy: What We Know and
MANUAL DE MAGIA PRACTICA 7 (ALEPH) EL MAGO 1. El hombre es un ternario, de cuerpo, Alma y ESPIRITU. 2. EL ESPIRITU es el INTIMO. 3. El Alma es la Conciencia, cuyo cuerpo fluídico es llamado en Ocultismo Cuerpo Astral. 4. El cuerpo físico es el diablo en nosotros. 5. Entre el INTIMO y el cuerpo existe un mediador es el Alma, el Astral. 6.
Alfredo López Austin). Co-Edited Volume: Art and Media History –––Modern Art in Africa, Asia and Latin America: An Introduction to Global Modernisms. Boston: Wiley-Blackwell, 2012 (Elaine O’Brien, editor; Everlyn Nicodemus, Melissa Chiu, Benjamin Genocchio, Mary K. Coffey, Roberto Tejada, co-editors). Exhibition Catalogs ––– “Equivocal Documents,” in Manuel Álvarez Bravo (c
