Minneapolis Institute of Art

Midday Slumbers

Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema

Date

1888

Medium

Watercolor, pen and black ink over graphite

Department

European Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

Lawrence Alma-Tadema achieved spectacular success in England producing dreamy, mildly erotic paintings of languorous Victorian beauties in gorgeously appointed antique spaces—Roman baths and markets, colonnaded Grecian terraces, Egyptian houses. His house in London was almost as renowned as his paintings. Reports describe classically inspired architecture, ornament, and mosaics, all designed by the artist himself. Paintings and house alike were informed by a deep knowledge of and fervent fascination with antiquity. Alma-Tadema’s compositions present distant worlds with startling immediacy. Strong vertical elements here tightly crop the space, giving the viewer a sense of privileged intimacy in this glimpse of a woman indulging in a midday nap in a private back room of a house. An excellent colorist, Alma-Tadema was adept at representing the subtle effects of light and shadow in watercolor. Note, for instance, how the warm, diffuse afternoon light coming through the onyx windowpane contrasts with the dark shadows on the cold marble floor. Europe

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