Gregory M.Figg 2012 “storm stones” 3-d chromadepth painting w/topaz & flourite stones
Critics on Costume, Fashions Change, 1880, by John Callott Horsley
I love this painting. I can hear them talking.
![ornamentedbeing:
petitpoulailler:
1833 Paul Delaroche (French, 1797-1856) ~ The Execution of Lady Jane Grey [detail]
If I know I am going to be near Trafalgar I will go out of my way to drop in and say hello to some old friends. I start with Botticelli’s Venus and Mars, travel to Da Vinci’s The Virgin on the Rocks, Van Gogh’s Sunflowers, pass by the Hogarth’s, the Fragonard’s, the Carravaggio’s… the list goes on and on. When I am finished with my greetings I take a deep breath and enter the room where my last love is waiting, the room I dread the most.
It’s almost as if I have to prepare myself because the painting itself is a work of great beauty and cruelty. You stand before this piece and you are sucked into the scene. It is February 12, 1554 and you can hear her ladies crying. Jane fumbles for the block blindly. You know that in seconds she will place her head on the block and that white dress of innocence will be painted crimson. Sometimes I feel as if there was something cold kissing the back of my neck, reminiscent of a heartless lover’s touch.
Delaroche knew he did not have to paint the scene of her actual execution. He knew what you would see. When you stand before this massive painting your mind finishes the story for you. You see the axe fall and you see the aftermath. I’ve seen people turn their head away with tears in their eyes. It’s literally hurts to look.
He is capable of such great cruelty. Yet as much as I hate him for this painting, I am captivated and enthralled with it. Delaroche was a master, able to twist and control human emotions. But in an odd way I love him for forcing people to feel.](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lr95lfonoa1qbaqhwo1_500.jpg)
1833 Paul Delaroche (French, 1797-1856) ~ The Execution of Lady Jane Grey [detail]
If I know I am going to be near Trafalgar I will go out of my way to drop in and say hello to some old friends. I start with Botticelli’s Venus and Mars, travel to Da Vinci’s The Virgin on the Rocks, Van Gogh’s Sunflowers, pass by the Hogarth’s, the Fragonard’s, the Carravaggio’s… the list goes on and on. When I am finished with my greetings I take a deep breath and enter the room where my last love is waiting, the room I dread the most.
It’s almost as if I have to prepare myself because the painting itself is a work of great beauty and cruelty. You stand before this piece and you are sucked into the scene. It is February 12, 1554 and you can hear her ladies crying. Jane fumbles for the block blindly. You know that in seconds she will place her head on the block and that white dress of innocence will be painted crimson. Sometimes I feel as if there was something cold kissing the back of my neck, reminiscent of a heartless lover’s touch.
Delaroche knew he did not have to paint the scene of her actual execution. He knew what you would see. When you stand before this massive painting your mind finishes the story for you. You see the axe fall and you see the aftermath. I’ve seen people turn their head away with tears in their eyes. It’s literally hurts to look.
He is capable of such great cruelty. Yet as much as I hate him for this painting, I am captivated and enthralled with it. Delaroche was a master, able to twist and control human emotions. But in an odd way I love him for forcing people to feel.
