Although Henryk Hektor Siemiradzki 3 was born in what is now Ukraine and his father was an officer in the Russian army , his family carried a strong sense of Polish nationalism . He considered himself Polish throughout his life , even when Russia sought to claim him as its own because of his international reputation . After seven years of schooling at the Petersburg Academy of Fine Arts , Siemiradzki received a gold medal in 1871 for his Alexander the Great and the Physician Philip of Acarnania , affording him another six years ’ study abroad .
When he first came to Rome in 1872 his heart was so captivated by the city that he settled there for the rest of his life . Siemiradzki drew most of his celebrated subject matter from the ancient world and the Roman environs . A thoroughgoing academician , superb draughtsman , and master of composition , color , and lighting , he was proficient with landscape , portraiture , and the human figure . His subjects were taken from Greek , Roman , and Russian history , classical mythology , and the New Testament . He especially focused on scenes set during the time of the early Roman Empire , whether depictions of Roman orgies or the fate of early Christian martyrs , and small-scale bucolics with a few figures at leisure , set in idyllically beautiful landscapes .
The first monumental painting that gained the artist great acclaim throughout the capitals of Europe was Nero ’ s Torches , which portrayed , without comment , the sophisticated barbarity of showmanship on the part of the emperor Nero , as early Christians went to their deaths . Siemiradzki was criticized by one writer at the time for focusing on the pictorial externals of the event and failing to portray its emotional drama . 4 His sumptuous settings prefigure the widescreen motion picture epics by 20th century director Cecil B . DeMille and the Metro-Goldwyn- Mayer movie Ben Hur ( 1959 ).
Henryk Siemiradzki ( 1843-1902 )
Henryk Siemiradzki ( 1843-1902 ) Alexander the Great and the Physician Philip of Acarnania 1870 oil on canvas 96.5 × 136.4
National Arts Museum of the Republic of Belarus
Henryk Siemiradzki ( 1843-1902 )
The New Bracelet c . 1883 oil on canvas 22 ½ x 1 1 / 2 ” location unknown [ private collection , sold at auction ]
Henryk Siemiradzki ( 1843-1902 )
By a Spring 1898 oil on canvas 30 x 43 1 / 4 ” Lviv Picture Gallery , Lviv , Ukraine )
44 ART CHOWDER MAGAZINE