You haven't heard her name
But maybe I've seen her story
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A friend's hurried knock on the door interrupted Layton's thoughts:
"I found your 'Iphigenia'!" She's definitely qualified! ”
"Where?" Take me to meet you! Layton snatched the door and came out.
The girl's skin is as white as snow, a pair of violet pupils overflow with romantic light, golden wavy curls are fluffy and soft like wool, and every line of the body is "classical" just right. Layton almost held his breath as he watched—this plump but not greasy girl of Greek mythology, who had been born for painting.
Layton seemed to have a throbbing like Simon's first sight of Iphigenia
"That's her!" Layton could not hide his excitement, and half a year of hard work could finally come to an end. The girl gladly agreed to model leiden, and eight months later, his magnificent work "Simon and Iphigenia" came out.
Simon and Iphigenia is the story of the fifth day in Boccaccio's Decameron / Leiden / Art Gallery of New South Wales, Australia
The moon's first light lips cast a strong orange color on the earth, and the beautiful Iphigenia slept soundly under the tree. She raised her arms above her head and fixed them on the lazy waist that had just been stretched out. The less troublesome Simon was captivated by her posture and determined to become a learned gentleman.
A silky thin quilt was lightly put on the body,
Maintain decency and outline attractive curves.
The skin only shows the cheeks, neck and arms,
He lost his soul to Simon on the side.
The "sleeping beauty" in the painting is the inspiration muse of the famous British painter Leyton in the 19th century, Dorothy Dene.
Origins - I was shocked at first sight
Dorothy, whose original name was Ida, was born in 1859 to a working-class family in New Cross, London. When she was young, her father abandoned his wife and daughter, and soon her mother died tragically, and she and her three sisters decided to go to South Kensington, London, to earn a living.
Ada Alice Pullen (1859-1899) could not have been hidden in South Kensington, where artists gathered at the time
In 1879, fate favored the 20-year-old Ida, who, with her extraordinary beauty, became the chosen son of Lord Frederick Leyton, a famous academic painter and president of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts.
Lord Fredrick Leighton (1830-1896) was a famous British painter, sculptor and representative of the academic school.
March of the Holy Column / Leiden / 1855 / Purchased by Queen Victoria and is still part of the Royal Collection
When Leiden traveled around Europe as a young man, was steeped in classical art and loved the sculptures of the ancient Greco-Roman period, he was always looking for a perfect human body like classical sculpture to achieve his own creation.
In Simon and Iphigenia, the thin quilt on Iphigenia is the result of Leyton's study of the costumes worn by the sculpture of the Three Goddesses once hidden in the Parthenon / British Museum
Simon and Iphigenia is the first collaboration between Ida and Layton and is one of their mutually successful works of art. Since then, Ida has become a dedicated model for many of Leiden's later paintings.
Portrait of Ida by Layton
In 1880, Leiden was entrusted by a friend to create a "Dag's Fairy" for his estate: the Dag River flowing through the manor gently caressed the bank of the river, and the fairy was conceived from the valley. As if she had performed a magic spell, the waterfall turned into a light cloth satin covering her body.
Dag's Fairy / Leiden / 1880 / Private collection
The fairy is tall but has a baby-like face, and the two red halos hanging from her cheeks look particularly cute on her tender white skin. She held her heart in both hands, slightly chin up, and was so ashamed.
Although Dorothy is beautiful, her accent was not "advanced" in society at that time, and she was also ridiculed for this. Still, she had a dream other than modeling.
Deep Edge – Continuous inspiration
After many days together, the painter and the model opened the conversation box, and Ida confided in Layton that she wanted to become a drama actress. Layton believes that Ida has an impeccable face and figure, saying that it is feasible.
But to become a good actor, it is not okay to Ada's current unpleasant country tone! So the two of them took a "language class" in addition to painting.
Not only does the accent have to be changed, but the good stage name is also a plus. The two worked together, with Ida choosing her sister's name "Dorothy", and Layton helping her choose "Dani" as her surname, and even recommending her to the famous Shaw. Acting newcomer Dorothy Dene was born.
Layton introduced his "nurturing" new star to his friend George Bernard Shaw, hoping that his friend could help Dani in her acting career
Unfortunately, although Dorothy is beautiful, her acting skills are really beyond recognition. Rarely, Layton has always been her loyal audience, often sitting in the audience to clap her hands, and it was during this period that she gave him more inspiration for painting. For example, this time, Dorothy played the heroine of Shakespeare's play, Desdemona.
Desdemona / 1888 / Leiden House Museum
Desdemona's childlike clear and pure eyes were like her untainted heart, and she loved and adored her husband Othello, but her husband somehow heard nonsense that he was unfaithful to him—
She entered the world as a simple person, but she did not think that the world would hold her as "muddy", and the confusion and pity in her heart were all written between her slightly locked eyebrows.
Desdemona is the heroine of Shakespeare's famous tragedy Othello, who died at the hands of her husband Othello because she was framed by a villain
There are no actors who don't want to be the protagonist, and most of dorothy can only play some small roles. Only in the painter's heart is she the purest and most immaculate girl in Shakespeare's plays.
Indeed, under Leiden's brush, Dorothy's "pure" is "beautiful", and most of the time it is shown in the image of goodness and beauty in the work of art. The 1889 painting "Bathing Psyche" is another example.
Bathing Psyche / 1890 / Leiden / Tate Gallery
In Greek mythology, the mortal woman Psyche had a face that even Venus, the goddess of beauty, hated, but Cupid (son of Venus) fell in love with her. The painting depicts Apsek grooming and bathing. Dorothy plays her, every place is as perfect as a work of art, and the sculptural silky skin is delicate and seductive, worthy of being a woman who threatens Venus!
Venus, jealous of Psyche's beauty and angry that her son Cupid fell in love with her, issued an oracle asking Psyche's parents to abandon the barren mountain and marry her to an "inhuman", but in fact she was sent to Cupid by the God of the West Wind every night.
Although Dorothy's acting skills are mediocre, her outstanding appearance still makes her popular with some brand owners.
Beginning in the 1880s, photographs of Dorothy often appeared on cigarette packs
Years of artistic immersion and Leiden's cultivation have allowed Dorothy to grow from a slightly rustic little girl to a lady who can climb the elegant hall, and she often accompanies Leiden when she attends events.
Leiden also "crafted" her from an unknown model into a widely acclaimed "work of art" through idealized depictions of Dorothy in paintings. Not to mention the admirers, I think even the model himself can not easily withdraw from the perfect world of the painting.
Dorothy's "journey of painting" never ended. After 10 years, she brought surprises to the painting world with the posture of sleeping beauty.
Burning June / 1895 / Museum of Art of Ponce, Puerto Rico
The scorching sun coated the sea with a golden coat, and the air was filled with the impetuous and lazy atmosphere of hot summer. The girl curled up on the marble bench and slept peacefully, the orange long dress like a raging flame but not dazzling, the rich colors lining her like a blazing sun.
Known as the "Mona Lisa of the Southern Hemisphere", the painting is the treasure of the Museum of Ponce
The girl's sleeping posture is the result of Leiden's study of Michelangelo's sculpture, the night
The girl is sleeping soundly, but the oleander that is blooming above her head adds a touch of danger to the idyllic atmosphere.
Oleander is often used to symbolize death because of its highly toxic sap.
Leiden and Dorothy are 30 years apart in age, and the cooperation between the two will eventually come to an end, so where will this artwork "carved" by the artist go from here? Did Layton smell danger before drawing the oleander that opened above the girl's head?
The end of the fate - there will be a difference
In 1896, Leiden was in his twilight years and his health was not as good as before. Before her death, Dorothy once again modeled for his final work: Clayti in the painting fell to her knees, desperately opening her arms to the sky to feel the warmth of the sun, but the sun favored every living being in the world but left her alone.
Clayti quietly falls in love with her sister's lover, Apollo, and jealousy leads her to tell her mother. Apollo resents Claytie for the death of his sister in anger as a result of which Clayti dies in the agony of love / 1895 / Leiden House Museum
Dorothy's desperation as a model is so real that one can't help but wonder: Is this painting a true portrayal of her? Did she fall in love with the artist, but was rejected for various reasons? Such as people drinking water, cold and warm self-knowledge
In reality, Layton was unmarried all his life, and when he died, he summoned Dorothy to the bedside and looked at the girl who had accompanied him through 17 years of creative career and helped him present many proud paintings. He left her a legacy of £5,000 (about £1 million today), thanking her for her companionship and hoping to give her a guarantee for the rest of her life.
Lonely / Circa 1890 / MaryHill Art Gallery
Sadly, Dorothy was not blessed, and in the third year after Layton's death, she also died of illness at the age of 40. Everything between the two also became a permanent secret with her death. But the story between the two has never been forgotten.
Leiden's last photograph taken in 1895 in his studio, which is now the Leiden House Museum / The photograph is in the British Historical Archive
The famous playwright George Bernard Shaw and a close friend of Layton's," the creation of The Lady adds a mystique to the relationship: the flower girl Eliza and the linguistics professor Higgins are based on Dorothy and Layton.
After half a year of language training, Eliza transformed from an obscure flower girl into a "foreign princess" at a diplomatic ball. But such a class jump made Eliza confused, and she could not return to her former flower-selling life and could not really get a place in high society.
There is always a mystery of both false and true artistic creation, painting and drama. George Bernard Shaw, a bystander of the relationship between the two, discovered the dangers of this cooperation with a sharper eye -
Dorothy, as Leiden's exclusive model, may have been stuck in the gap between ideals and reality like Eliza in the three years after his death.
In Greek mythology, the muse is the collective name of the nine goddesses of literature and art, and often appears at the gatherings of gods or heroes to sing and dance to bring pleasure. Whoever receives the heart of the muse will be like holding the pen of God in his hand.
The aura of artistic creation always hangs over the creator and the work, but people often know very little about the inspiration muse behind it – it is undeniable that it is the collision of the soul between them and the artist that bursts out the dazzling sparks on the work.
Holy Gardens of Hesperides / 1892 / Frederick Layton / Lady Liver Art Gallery
In any case, Dorothy's beauty and her story with Layton have finally added a bright color to art history that cannot be ignored, and she should not be forgotten.
Editor | Anna Autumn Bugs
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