(Credits: Diego Delso)
The National Gallery in London has revealed plans to celebrate its 200th anniversary by finally obtaining a canvas by Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, the critically acclaimed Dutch painter of the Victorian era. The painting in question is After the Audience from 1879. The sale was carried out through Christie’s between the museum and collector Isabel Goldsmith.
The gallery paid an eye-watering £2 million to secure the oil painting. The impressive and historic is realistic in its execution, depicting Emperor Augustus’s son-in-law, Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, going up the staircase in his villa to address the public. Funds to purchase the painting were obtained from four individual donors who were keen to mark the 200th anniversary of the National Gallery.
A press release from the gallery discussed the piece’s importance, noting, “The acquisition represents both Neoclassicism and Aestheticism, two important artistic movements within the Western tradition that have largely been unrepresented at Trafalgar Square.”
The release continues to detail Alma-Tadema’s history. In 1836, he was born in the Netherlands and studied Fine Arts in Antwerp, Belgium, under the tutelage of history painter Gustave Wappers. Later in his career, he assisted the artist Louis Jan de Taeye, who, according to the release, “Advocated historical accuracy and appreciation for depicting scenes from the Ancient World.”
Alma-Tadema became synonymous with depicting idealised views from ancient Rome. This style was in part because of his education but also because his honeymoon was in Italy, and he liked reliving some of his fond memories.
He saw a lot of success when he moved to London. Forced into the city in 1870 due to the Franco-Prussian War, Alma-Tadema found that he had much more commercial success, stating it was, “The only place where, up till then my work had met with buyers.”
One fan of his was William Armstrong, who had adored one of the artist’s earlier works, Audience with Agrippa. Alma-Tadema painted After the Audience for Armstrong, and in a bid to entice him further, he painted Agrippa towards the end of his civic duties, which is shown in the resident gifts laid out on the platform in between his fans and his home. Both works are similar in their subject, but the lighting used in After the Audience makes the piece glow ever more serenely, embracing a slightly darker tone than its predecessor.
After the Audience can now be viewed in Room 45 of the National Gallery.
Related Topics
