Wednesday 1 June 2016

The mountains of Thermopylae by Edward Lear



The mountains of Thermopylae - Oil on canvas (68.4 x 135 cm) by Edward Lear - Bristol Museum & Art Gallery

Edward Lear (1812–1888) first visited Greece and saw the Thermopylae, in northern Greece, in the summer of 1848. 

He painted this landscape a few years later, while he was studying under William Holman Hunt, one of the Pre-Raphaelite painters. The influence of the genre is obvious, with the bright colours, the use of purple, and the extremely fine brushwork.


The mountains of Thermopylae - Detail

The mountains of Thermopylae - Detail

The mountains of Thermopylae - Detail of the foreground on the left

The mountains of Thermopylae - Detail of the mountains in the background


The mountains of Thermopylae - Detail of the mountains in the background


Bristol Museum & Art Gallery

Queens Rd
Bristol BS8 1RL
England