Apollo and Diana
n.d.
Medium
Pen and black ink, over traces of graphite, on ivory wove paper, laid down on tan wove paper
Dimensions
21.4 × 28.9 cm (8 7/16 × 11 7/16 in.)
Classification
pen and ink drawings
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
77257
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
These are preparatory drawings for illustrations of Alexander Pope's translations of Homer. The conjunction of Flaxman and Pope presents the essence of English neoclassicism: Flaxman was one of its most influential artists; Pope perhaps its central poet. In these drawings, the severe economy of means and the predominant use of outline reflect the visual and moral austerity of the neoclassical aesthetic.
About the Artist
John Flaxman · 1755–1826
John Flaxman (1755–1826) was born in York, England, the son of John Flaxman Sr., a moulder and seller of plaster casts who ran a studio in London's Covent Garden. Largely self-taught amid his father's stock of classical casts, with minimal formal schooling due to childhood illness, Flaxman displayed prodigious talent early on. At age 12, he won a Society of Arts prize for a medallion; by 15, anoth...