Philip Calderon

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Broken Vows, 1857

Philip Hermogenes Calderon (May 3, 1833 – April 30, 1898) was a British painter of French birth and Spanish ancestry who worked in the Pre-Raphaelite style. He was Keeper of the Royal Academy in London.

Calderon was born in Poitiers, France. His father was a Roman Catholic priest and a professor of Spanish literature. Calderon planned to study engineering, but he became so interested in drawing technical figures and diagrams that he changed his mind and devoted his time to art. His first successful painting was called By the Waters of Babylon (1853), which was followed by a much more popular one called Broken Vows (1857). From the beginning he was inspired by the Pre-Raphaelites, and some of his work showed the detail, deep colors, and realistic forms that characterize the style.

Historical, biblical, and literary themes are common in Calderon's work. Many of his pieces show female forms wearing rich, silky clothing in gently-colored landscapes. His Morning (1884) features a copper-haired maiden watching a sunrise. His Juliet (1896) shows Shakespeare's young heroine seated on her balcony gazing at the stars.

The Tate Gallery exhibits several of Calderon's paintings.