Frederic Leighton
Frederic Leighton (3 December 1830?25 January 1896) was an
English oil painting artist and sculptor. His works depicted
historical, biblical and classical subject matter.
Leighton was born in Scarborough to a family in the medical
profession. He was educated at University College School London. He
then received his artistic training on the European continent,
first from Edward von Steinle and then from Giovanni Costa. When in
Florence, aged 24, where he studied at the Accademia di Belle Arti,
he painted the procession of the Cimabue Madonna through the Borgo
Allegri. He lived in Paris from 1855 to 1859, where he met Ingres,
Delacroix, Corot and Millet.
In 1860, he moved to London, England, where he associated with the
Pre-Raphaelites.
He designed Elizabeth Barrett Browning's tomb for Robert Browning
in the 'English' Cemetery, Florence in 1861. In 1864 he became an
associate of the Royal Academy and in 1878 he became its President
(1878?96). His 1877 sculpture, Athlete Wrestling with a Python, was
considered at its time to inaugurate a renaissance in contemporary
British sculpture, referred to as the New Sculpture. His paintings
represented Britain at the great 1900 Paris Exhibition.
Leighton was knighted at Windsor in 1878, and was created a baronet
eight years later. He was the first oil painting artist to be given
a peerage, in the New Year Honours List of 1896. The patent
creating him Baron Leighton of Stretton in the County of Salop, was
issued on 24 January 1896; Leighton died the next day of angina
pectoris.
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