1863 -1920 · London, Paris, Rome and British classicism

Marine nymphs, ancient heroes and monumental bodies give Herbert Draper a sensual and dramatic language in the twilight of Victorian painting.

Herbert James Draper was born in London in 1863. After St John's Wood Art School, he entered the Royal Academy Schools in 1884 and exhibited regularly at the Royal Academy from 1887. A medal and a travel grant obtained in 1889 allowed him to continue his training at the Académie Julian in Paris and then in Rome. The study of the nude, ancient sculpture and the Renaissance nourished an extremely assured academic profession. Back in England, Draper specialized in mythological and literary subjects. His heroes, nymphs and sea creatures offered him a framework in which to unite anatomy, movement, water and fabrics. The Lament for Icarus, exhibited in 1898, became his work iconic. The inert body of the young man, whose wings are broken, is surrounded by bereaved nymphs; the metallic shine of the feathers, the flesh and the twilight landscape transform the failure of the flight into an elegy. Acquired by the Chantrey legacy for the Tate, the painting received a gold medal at the Universal Exhibition in Paris in 1900. Ulysses and the mermaids renew another ancient episode with a violently physical composition: the mermaids take shape, invade the ship and oppose their gestures to the hero attached to the mast. On the contrary, the Island of Calypso favors waiting, isolation and Mediterranean light. The Water Nymph belongs to this aquatic repertoire where hair, skin and reflections continue. Draper also painted portraits, Arthurian subjects and monumental decorations, notably for Drapers' Hall. His virtuosity enjoyed great success around 1900 before modernism made his style less visible. Died in London in 1920, he is today rediscovered as one of the most powerful painters of the late British mythological imagination. Died in London in 1920, he is today rediscovered as one of the most powerful painters of the late British mythological imagination. Died in London in 1920, he is today rediscovered as one of the most powerful painters of the late British mythological imagination. The "Herbert Draper" selection notably compares The Complaint for Icarus and Ulysses and the Mermaids. His reading favors the material.

Draper gives the myth the density of a real body: broken wings, water, ropes and skin transform the legend into a physical, sensual and often tragic event.