Artist of the Month: Jean-Léon Gérôme

Any one paying attention will know by now that I have two main points of interest when it comes to art. The human figure as a subject and 'ambience'. Neither contradicts the other though ambience is extremely subjective to my particular moods and fascinations. When I say ambience, I mean of course, a state of perception which appeals to my escapist sensibilities. Or in other words, anything which helps to create the feeling of sensory immersion that allows my mind to wander within realms of its own creation.

Such places are common in art. The primordial forest is one such and the Orient is another. History provides us with many opulent arena's for our fertile imaginations to wander and sometimes an artist comes along who manages to capture, perhaps only for a fleeting instance, the image of such a place. Jean-Léon Gérôme was just such an artist.

Born in 1824 he belongs to a period when artists were still able to describe the outside world by virtue of their own cultural bias, and not be ripped apart by critics who couldn't create themselves, but who would gladly dictate the terms of creation unto others. The history of art is full of such small people, and alas in the long run, they have brought the creative talents to such a place that the genius born in Jean-Léon Gérôme is now ever harder to find. The world of 'Fine Art' has long since passed by Gérôme and now regards him with something approaching disdain. Contemporary film makers do not create art for the sake of the fine establishment however, and thankfully, being subject to the popular need to escape the dull reality of the modern world, they still refer to Gérôme's work, as can be seen by the above image which was an inspiration for the film 'Gladiator' by director Ridley Scott.

-

Gérôme was as typical of his day as Scott is as atypical of his. He saw the world and painted the world as he saw it, and whilst being objective in his style, was completely subjective in his execution. The result is often a romantic bagatelle, unapologetic in its bias and obsessed with its own surrender unto ambience. A place to hide from reality, if only for a few seconds.

Jean-Léon Gérôme at Wikipedia
....at ArtCyclopedia

...at Art Renewal

...at Ten Dreams