06 | April | 2015 | thoughts and entanglements

Letter E is for Etty

Today is day four of the Blogging A to Z Challenge

Venus and Her Satellites, 1835

William Etty 1787 – 1849

PASSION

seduction the art

feminine wiles in session

passion the reward

4/05/2015

William Etty was a British born painter, who was born in 1787. He was trained at the Royal Academy School and later under Sir Thomas Lawrence who was a leading English portrait painter and president of the Royal Academy . Etty traveled for two years in France and Italy honing his skills, I imagine. He was one of the few painters to focus exclusively on nudes. There was the usual hub bub with accusations of indecency. His response, he found ‘…..God’s most glorious work to be Woman, that all human beauty had been concentrated in her, I dedicated myself to painting—not the Draper’s or Milliner’s work—but God’s most glorious work, more finely than ever had been done.’ I wonder what the comeback was to that? The Times considering it ‘entirely too luscious for the public eye’, the London Times I guess that was. But it is generally agreed that he attained a glowing voluptuousness in the painting of flesh that few British artists have ever approached, of course; that was is focus and expertise. By the end of his life he was pretty much forgiven for his foray with the flesh. By that time he had money which he didn’t when he was on that other list. You know how that goes. Wink, wink!

http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/p/a-to-z-challenge-sign-uplist-2015.html

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