Ariadne
Asher Brown Durand American
After John Vanderlyn American
Before becoming a painter, Durand was considered the foremost engraver in the United States. His usual procedure was to first produce a copy in oil of the work to be engraved. Ariadne is one such example after a history painting by John Vanderlyn (1809–14; Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia). Ariadne, a Cretan princess abandoned on the island of Naxos by her lover Theseus, is shown asleep, unaware of his departure. Durand’s copy modified Vanderlyn’s crisp Neoclassical style, infusing the figure—one of the first nudes ever exhibited in this country—with a romantic softness that emphasized its sensuality.
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